https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/1970s-british-family-saloons/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/use600r-austin-princess-52256014915-1600.jpg An Austin Princess in striking period orange. The most engineering-ambitious British family saloon of the mid-1970s, and the one BL's product planners undermined at launch by shipping it as a saloon when the wedge profile begged for a hatchback. A bright orange Austin Princess wedge saloon (1976-77) with black vinyl roof at an outdoor classic car show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1974-british-leyland-austin-marina-jaguar-tr6-mgb-land-rover-advertising-road-tr-13887425052-1057.jpg A 1974 British Leyland advertisement selling the Marina on the strength of the family it belonged to. The pitch was that one combine could offer the budget saloon, the E-Type, and the Land Rover all at once, the integration BL believed would let it out-sell Ford. A 1974 British Leyland press advertisement headed 'The Great British Car Sweepstakes', showing an Austin Marina saloon alongside a Jaguar E-Type V12, a Triumph TR6, an MGB and a Land Rover https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1975-morris-marina-52157688266-1600.jpg A 1975 Morris Marina saloon. Cheap, durable, and easy to repair, but built on front suspension adapted from the 1948 Morris Minor and ranked behind the Cortina and the Avenger from the day it launched. An olive green 1975 Morris Marina four-door saloon at an outdoor classic car show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a362drr-1983-austin-ambassador-2-0hl-51351940822-1600.jpg A 1983 Austin Ambassador 2.0HL. The hatchback the Princess wedge always implied, finally delivered in 1982 once the platform was seven years old and the segment had moved on. A bright red 1983 Austin Ambassador 2.0HL five-door hatchback (A plate, A362DRR), front three-quarter view on grass at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-fe-2300s-1975-53258379220-1059.jpg The Vauxhall Victor FE 2300S, the last and largest Victor. The slant-four saloon and estate that held the establishment end of the segment while BL's plan unwound. A light blue Vauxhall Victor FE 2300S (1975) with a black vinyl roof, front three-quarter view in a museum hall https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1979-vauxhall-chevette-hatchback-14102527018-1600.jpg A 1979 Vauxhall Chevette. It beat Ford to the small-family hatchback in 1975 and was Britain's top-selling new car in 1978, the role the Allegro was meant to fill. A bright orange 1979 Vauxhall Chevette three-door hatchback at an outdoor classic car show, front three-quarter view showing the shovel-nose grille https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/onj160m-hillman-avenger-53971685521-1600.jpg A mid-1970s Hillman Avenger. Rootes Group's small saloon handled better than the Marina from launch and outlasted three badge changes as Chrysler's European business collapsed. A brown metallic Hillman Avenger four-door saloon (M registration, 1973-74), front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/austin/princess/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/use600r-austin-princess-52256014915-1600.jpg A 1976-77 Austin Princess in striking period orange with the HL vinyl roof. The Harris Mann wedge profile, the quad headlights, and the long bonnet that made the front-wheel-drive packaging work. A bright orange Austin Princess wedge saloon (R plate, 1976-77) with black vinyl roof, front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vre621c-austin-princess-vanden-plas-4-litre-52023564257-1600.jpg A 1965 Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre Limousine. The coachbuilt Austin straight-six limo that was the standard British mayoral car for two decades, and the name the 1975 wedge inherited. A two-tone grey-over-ivory Austin Princess Vanden Plas 4-Litre limousine (C plate, 1965), front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a362drr-1983-austin-ambassador-2-0hl-51351940822-1600.jpg A 1983 Austin Ambassador 2.0HL. The hatchback BL should have built in 1975, finally arrived seven years late, and ran for two years before the platform retired. A bright red 1983 Austin Ambassador 2.0HL hatchback (A plate), front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/princess-1800-1977-51189568339-1080.jpg A 1977 Princess 1800 from the rear. The wedge profile suggested a hatchback and the separate boot lid disappointed buyers exactly as the article suggests, the commercial misjudgement BL eventually fixed seven years later with the Ambassador. A brown Austin Princess 1800 (R plate, 1977) rear three-quarter view showing the separate boot lid that the wedge profile concealed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/british-leyland-princess-1975-76-33220542116-1496.jpg The October 1975 press campaign that announced the 18-22 Series was now simply 'Princess'. The relaunch dropped the Austin, Morris and Wolseley badges six months after launch, the public admission that BL's three-marque rollout had confused showrooms. A 1975-76 British Leyland press advertisement headed 'Now we're calling it the Princess', showing four black-and-white press images of the 18-22 Princess 1800, Princess 1800 HL, Princess 2200 HL and Princess 2200 HLS with R-plate launch cars and quotes from Autocar, the Daily Telegraph and Motor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/wolseley-2200-1975-53250325652-1044.jpg A Wolseley 2200 from the six-month 18-22 launch window in 1975. The Wolseley front-end trim, with the illuminated grille badge, marked one of three identical wedges that BL launched simultaneously to honour the pre-merger dealer franchises, exactly the launch confusion the article covers. A bright blue 1975 Wolseley 2200 saloon (ADY255V plate, the badge-engineered 18-22 launch variant), front three-quarter view on grass at a UK classic car show with a green Morris Minor parked alongside https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vanden-plas-princess-2200-1975-53245255903-1046.jpg The Vanden Plas-trimmed version of the wedge Princess 2200. A small number of cars left the Cowley line for Vanden Plas finishing in Kingsbury, the same arrangement that had produced the Vanden Plas Allegro, and the variant is now one of the rarest of any wedge body. A maroon 1975 Vanden Plas Princess 2200 wedge saloon, front three-quarter view at a UK classic car show, with the Vanden Plas grille, twin coachlines and chrome trim that distinguished the prestige variant of the wedge platform https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1981-austin-morris-princess-hl-51315310296-1600.jpg A late Princess 2 HL from 1981, the final year of wedge production. The O-series 2.0 engine, the revised grille and the smoothed-out trim mark this out as the Princess 2 the article describes, the iteration that arrived three years before the Ambassador hatchback finally replaced it. A gold 1981 Austin-Morris Princess 2 HL saloon (LSA481W plate) with the post-1978 O-series grille and Princess HL trim badging, front three-quarter view on grass at a UK classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/leyland-princess-1975-48913590468-1600.jpg A late Leyland Princess in period yellow, registered just as production was ending in 1981-82. The side profile makes the wedge silhouette explicit, the shape Harris Mann's team developed in the early 1970s and that even the contemporary press said was clearly a hatchback waiting to happen. A bright yellow late Leyland Princess saloon (YBJ243X plate, 1981-82), full side profile at an outdoor classic car show, showing the wedge profile, full-length side rubbing strip and the Princess HL trim wheels https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/princess-2-2000-s-t-1981-51530389123-1600.jpg A Princess 2 2000 S/T at the BL Heritage display. The S/T was the sporting trim BL added to the late Princess 2 range in 1981, the final attempt to squeeze a near-performance variant out of a platform that was about to be replaced by the Ambassador. A burgundy 1981 Princess 2 2000 S/T saloon (LOC950P registration) on display at the British Leyland Heritage collection, front three-quarter view with the S/T sporting trim grille, quad headlights and indoor museum lighting https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/leyland-princess-2200hls-1978-45402591134-1600.jpg A 1978 Princess 2200 HLS with the vinyl roof. The 2200 HLS was the flagship of the wedge range and the variant the market still prefers, and this rear three-quarter shows the boot lid that the wedge profile so misleadingly concealed, the misjudgement the article centres on. A red 1978 Leyland Princess 2200 HLS saloon with black vinyl roof, rear three-quarter view at an indoor classic car show, showing the rear lights, chrome rear bumper and the Princess script badge on the boot lid https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hof56w-triumph-tr7-and-tao488s-austin-princess-52395509536-1600.jpg The two Harris Mann wedges together. Mann styled the TR7 and the Princess inside the same Longbridge studio in the early 1970s, and the article notes the family resemblance, the shared design language is more obvious here than in any single photo of either car. An orange Austin Princess saloon (TAO488S plate, 1978) parked next to a pale blue Triumph TR7 convertible (HOF56W plate) at a UK classic car show, the two Harris Mann wedge designs side by side https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-ambassador-1-7hl-1982-38421150404-1600.jpg A 1982 Ambassador 1.7HL from the rear. The redesigned rear pillar and the proper top-hinged hatchback are what set the Ambassador apart from the Princess platform underneath, the conversion BL should have built in 1975 and finally shipped seven years late. A pale green 1982 Austin Ambassador 1.7HL hatchback, rear three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car event, the redesigned rear pillar and the top-hinged hatchback tailgate visible against parked classic cars https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vanden-plas-princess-4-litre-r-1967-15800945267-1600.jpg The Princess R of 1964 to 1968 used a Rolls-Royce-supplied 4-litre straight-six and Vanden Plas trim, just 6,555 built. It is the most valuable of the pre-wedge Princess limousine line and the variant the article calls the most interesting late development of the Austin-Vanden Plas partnership. A silver-grey 1967 Vanden Plas Princess 4-Litre R saloon (LNJ606E plate), front three-quarter view on grass at a UK classic car show, with the Rolls-Royce-supplied straight-six grille badging and Vanden Plas coachbuilt trim https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/burgess-silencers-1957-advert-51123663189-1414.jpg A 1957 Burgess silencers trade advertisement. The Austin Princess named here is the earlier coachbuilt A105-derived Princess, the line the article opens with, period proof that the Princess name carried prestige weight a full eighteen years before BL recycled it for the wedge. A black-and-white 1957 trade press advertisement for Burgess silencers showing line illustrations of period British cars including an Austin Princess saloon among Triumph TR sports cars and Austin saloons, headed 'Look under these cars at the show' https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/bedford/cf/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bedford-cf-auto-sleeper-1983-53145420004-1600.jpg A 1983 Bedford CF Auto-Sleeper motorhome. The CF cab and BEDFORD grille front a coachbuilt living body, the conversion that kept most surviving CFs alive. A white Bedford CF Auto-Sleeper coachbuilt motorhome on grass at a show, side three-quarter view showing the CF cab and the BEDFORD grille badge https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bedford-cf-van-15525750743-37778821-1600.jpg The BEDFORD badge and a faded 'Powered by Holden' decal on a CF. This one is an Australian-market van, sold there through GM's Holden arm rather than Vauxhall as in Britain. Either way it runs on familiar General Motors mechanicals, a large part of why the CF is an easy classic to keep going. Close-up of the chrome BEDFORD badge above a faded "Powered by Holden" decal on the bodywork of a CF van https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bedford-cf-based-dormobile-debonaire-ca-1980-schaffen-diest-2012-20642533-1600.jpg A CF-based Dormobile Debonair. Dormobile was the best-known British camper converter, and its high-roof CFs are among the conversions that turned the model into a campervan favourite. A blue and white Bedford CF Dormobile Debonair high-top campervan on grass at a show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bedford-cf-220-ice-cream-van-1979-23721515878-1600.jpg A Bedford CF ice-cream van. The CF was a favourite base for ice-cream conversions, one of the working roles behind the model's nostalgic following. A blue and white Bedford CF ice-cream van in Dagostino livery with an Italian flag, parked on a street, rear three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bedford-cf-adventura-1975-47069305751-1600.jpg A 1975 Bedford CF Adventura coachbuilt camper. Conversions like this, cherished and stored over winter, are why so many CFs survived when plain vans did not. A maroon and cream Bedford CF Adventura coachbuilt camper with a high luton over the cab, rear three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1980-bedford-cf-ambulance-23222598-1200.jpg A 1980 CF in Dorset Ambulance Service livery. The CF served widely as a front-line and patient-transport ambulance, one of the working roles that kept so many in careful ownership. A white 1980 Bedford CF ambulance in Dorset Ambulance Service livery with a blue roof beacon bar, front three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-bedford-cf-vauxhall-97300d-hymermobil-14036620994-1600.jpg A CF-based Hymermobil, the full coachbuilt A-class motorhome treatment. The CF's chassis-cab made it a favourite base for converters across Britain and the Continent alike. A white and blue Bedford CF coachbuilt A-class Hymermobil motorhome parked on a brick drive, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bedford-cf-cab-with-bespoke-flat-bed-plus-load-platform-registered-april-1986-1979cc-58114063-1600.jpg A CF cab carrying a bespoke flat-bed platform. Bodybuilders took the bare chassis-cab and built whatever a customer needed on the back, from flat-beds to tippers to box vans. A white Bedford CF cab fitted with a bespoke flat-bed load platform, side view on tarmac https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1980-bedford-cf-box-body-6834963110-38924146-1600.jpg A box-bodied CF, the high cube-van form used for everything from removals to mobile workshops. The Luton over the cab squeezed extra load space above the driver. A white Bedford CF with a high box body over the cab, side three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1975-bedford-cf-14285278308-37747830-1600.jpg A maroon high-top CF camper still in use on the Continent, Dutch-registered. The CF sold across Europe as well as in Britain, and many survive abroad as cared-for campers. A maroon and white high-top Bedford CF campervan with a Dutch number plate, parked by a canal, side three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/bond/bug/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jub92l-bond-bug-52944116978-1600.jpg A Bond Bug in its signature tangerine orange. The wedge profile, the single front wheel, and the open side in place of a conventional door are all on show. An orange Bond Bug three-wheeler at a show, front three-quarter view showing the wedge profile and the open doorless side with the seats visible https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-bug-700es-1970-53211367352-1600.jpg The Bug has no conventional doors. The entire front, canopy and windscreen together, hinges up to let the two occupants climb in, shown here on a rarer white car. A white Bond Bug with its whole front canopy and windscreen hinged upwards to show how the occupants climb in, parked on grass by a stone wall https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/nwy298k-bond-bug-53947483381-1600.jpg The 700ES, the higher-compression model, wore its badging on the nose. The twin headlamps sit either side of the sharply pointed front. The front of an orange Bond Bug 700ES showing the twin rectangular headlamps with green covers and the Bond badge on the pointed nose https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-reliant-line-up-53066159818-1600.jpg The Bug among its relatives. Reliant built it on the same three-wheeler logic as its saloons, and the two share much of their mechanical hardware. A line-up of British three-wheelers at a show, an orange Bond Bug nearest the camera with blue and other Reliant three-wheelers behind https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-bug-1971-24673918758-1600.jpg A 1971 Bond Bug as Reliant intended it: the wedge nose, the single front wheel, and the tangerine paint that came as standard rather than as a choice. An orange 1971 Bond Bug three-wheeler on grass at a show, front three-quarter view showing the wedge nose and single front wheel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-bug-1970-28941692170-1600.jpg An early 1970 Bug beside a Mini, the four-seat car it cost almost as much as. Seen together, the comparison that sank the Bug commercially is obvious at a glance. An orange 1970 Bond Bug (SMW898J) on grass beside a classic Mini, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-bug-700es-1970-1972-24673927438-1600.jpg A rare yellow 700ES among a line of Bugs. Most left the factory tangerine, so a factory-correct alternative colour is unusual and worth establishing carefully before buying. A yellow Bond Bug 700ES in side profile in a line of Bugs at a show, the open side and lift-up canopy visible https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-bug-700es-1971-52336886053-1600.jpg A 1971 Bug at a show, a Trotters-liveried Reliant van behind it. The two are close cousins, both Tamworth three-wheelers built on the same logic. An orange Bond Bug (BRL419K) on grass at a show with a yellow three-wheeler van in Trotters Independent Trading livery behind https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-bug-4-wheeler-48704352907-1600.jpg A four-wheeled Bug. A handful were converted to run two front wheels, which sidesteps the three-wheeler's reputation for tipping at the cost of the original layout's whole point. A yellow four-wheeled Bond Bug conversion on grass at a show, side profile, with black side stripe and alloy wheels https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-bug-850es-4-wheeler-1971-49060271771-1600.jpg An 850ES four-wheeler at an indoor show. The 850 badge and the second front wheel mark this out as one of the modified cars rather than a standard 700-series three-wheeler. An orange four-wheeled Bond Bug 850ES at an indoor show on a chequered display floor, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bond-bug-1973-48767819138-1600.jpg A 1973 Bug from behind, the open cockpit on show. With no doors and only removable side screens, the Bug was always more fair-weather plaything than everyday transport, which is much of its charm now. An orange 1973 Bond Bug (AFN799L) from the rear three-quarter on grass at a show, the open cockpit and side stripe visible https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/olo824l-bond-bug-51349048954-1600.jpg Two Bugs together, one with the canopy raised. It is the clearest way to see how the whole front lifts as a single piece, the lift-up nose standing in for the doors the car never had. Two orange Bond Bugs side by side on grass at a show, one with its front canopy raised to show the cockpit, the other closed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/british-american-motoring-vocabulary/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vintage-white-morris-traveller-car-parked-on-a-london-street-with-wooden-34786772-1600.jpg A Morris Minor Traveller. Bonnet or hood, boot or trunk, wing or fender: one car, two vocabularies. A pale Morris Minor Traveller with timber-framed rear bodywork, parked at the kerb on a London street of white stucco houses https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-hsr-2-6-1979-51175678011-1600.jpg Under the bonnet, or under the hood. This is where the vocabulary diverges most: sump or oil pan, dynamo or generator, gudgeon pin or wrist pin, the words a parts catalogue lives or dies by. Close-up of a classic car engine bay, showing a slant-four engine with twin carburettors and period ancillaries https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/close-up-of-a-vintage-jaguar-xk120-showcasing-its-distinctive-front-grille-21801872-975.jpg Chrome, grille, and trim. The body vocabulary splits here too, from bonnet and hood to wing and fender to boot and trunk, the panels every transatlantic buyer learns to name twice. A close-up of a vintage Jaguar showing its distinctive chrome front grille and trim https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/british-microcars/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/peel-p50-1964-peel-trident-1965-48773441888-1600.jpg Two Peel microcars, the P50 and the bubble-canopied Trident, from the small and characterful end of the British classic world. A blue Peel P50 and a red Peel Trident microcar side by side on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/cars-from-the-1940s/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/close-up-photograph-of-a-vintage-yellow-mg-1938-car-showcasing-its-21765032-1600.jpg The MG T-type. Its pre-war styling carried straight into the post-war TC, the car that opened the American market under Export or Die. The chrome grille and twin headlamps of a yellow MG T-type, with an "MG 1938" number plate https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/close-up-of-a-vintage-jaguar-xk120-showcasing-its-distinctive-front-grille-21801872-975.jpg A Jaguar XK120. First shown in 1948 to launch the new XK twin-cam engine, it became the fastest production car in the world and started a forty-year engine lineage. The cream front of a Jaguar XK120, its slatted chrome grille and faired-in headlamps, on a street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-morris-minor-parked-in-a-classic-motoring-scene-4294331-1338.jpg A Morris Minor. Launched at the 1948 Motor Show alongside the XK120 and the Land Rover Series I, and built right through to 1971. A turquoise Morris Minor saloon parked by a farmyard shed, rear three-quarter, in faded period colour https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1951-standard-vanguard-5732984405-1600.jpg A Standard Vanguard. Launched in 1947 as a chunky 2.1-litre export saloon, it was Standard's main 1940s and 1950s product and one of the company's biggest dollar earners. A dark green Standard Vanguard saloon (1951), front three-quarter view on display in a museum https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-series-classic-land-rover-series-front-detail-with-grille-and-12606540-861.jpg A Land Rover Series I. Maurice Wilks's 1948 stopgap, built from folded aluminium to dodge steel rationing, outsold Rover's saloons within two years and ran in much the same shape for the next sixty-eight. A close-up of an early Land Rover Series front, showing the grille, round headlamps and flat aluminium panels https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-silver-rolls-royce-parked-on-a-charming-street-in-london-capturing-10392337-1600.jpg A post-war Rolls-Royce. The Silver Wraith ran the coachbuilt tradition through the decade, and the Silver Dawn was essentially a rebadged Bentley Mark VI sold mainly for export. A silver Rolls-Royce saloon parked on a London street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bentley-mark-vi-park-ward-1950-8203130887-1600.jpg A 1950 Bentley Mark VI, here with Park Ward coachwork. The first Bentley designed and bodied by Rolls-Royce and the first sold as a complete car from the factory, around 5,200 built. A two-tone gold-and-brown 1950 Bentley Mark VI with Park Ward coachwork, rear three-quarter view on display at an indoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vintage-jaguar-xk120-sports-car-in-los-angeles-showcasing-white-exterior-and-21801871-975.jpg An XK120 in California, where most of them were sold. Without the dollars cars like this earned under Export or Die, the British industry could not have made it through the rationing years. A white Jaguar XK120 roadster photographed in Los Angeles, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/healey-silverstone-2916963750-1000.jpg A Healey Silverstone (1949-51). Donald Healey's lightweight pre-Austin-Healey sports car, with the headlamps tucked behind the grille, built in tiny numbers before the Austin collaboration began. A red Healey Silverstone roadster with cycle wings and headlamps faired behind the grille, shown at an outdoor gathering https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1952-aston-martin-db2-3450846780-1362.jpg An Aston Martin DB2, launched in 1950 at the very end of the decade. The first DB-series Aston to use the Lagonda twin-cam six David Brown had bought the company for, and the start of the DB sports-car line. A dark green Aston Martin DB2 coupe displayed indoors at a motor museum, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1949-jowett-javelin-5732985371-1600.jpg A 1949 Jowett Javelin. The Bradford maker's ambitious flat-four family saloon, aerodynamic and technically interesting, but low-volume, and Jowett had gone under by 1954. A black 1949 Jowett Javelin saloon displayed in a museum, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/allard-4165561500-1600.jpg An Allard. Sydney Allard's formula of a big American V8 in a light British chassis made these the AC Cobra's spiritual predecessor by a decade, and he won the 1952 Monte Carlo Rally in one of his own cars. A green Allard sports car, front three-quarter view on grass https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/cars-from-the-1950s/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-red-jaguar-xk120-against-palm-trees-at-an-outdoor-event-in-24394892-1600.jpg The Jaguar XK120, the car that set the template for the 1950s British sports car and sold by the thousand into America. A red Jaguar XK120 fixed-head coupe in side profile with red wire wheels, parked on grass with palm trees behind https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/front-view-of-a-classic-green-mg-tf-1953-on-display-in-13465517-867.jpg An MG TF. The last of the running-board T-types, the line that built the British sports-car name in America before the MGA modernised it. A green MG TF roadster displayed indoors at a motor museum, front view, with chrome grille and twin headlamps https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/close-up-of-a-vintage-classic-car-with-chrome-details-in-a-9890948-1600.jpg A Bentley of the S-series, the Rolls-Royce-built saloon of the late 1950s that shared its body and running gear with the Silver Cloud. The front of a champagne-gold Bentley saloon, chrome grille and round headlamps, in a showroom https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-series-land-rover-series-in-an-off-road-utility-vehicle-10529670-866.jpg A Land Rover Series. The folded-aluminium workhorse launched in 1948 that was outselling Rover's saloon cars within two years. A pale blue Land Rover Series, front three-quarter, parked on a city street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-classic-morris-minor-parked-outside-a-brick-building-in-ely-uk-3791376-1600.jpg A Morris Minor. Issigonis's pre-Mini design and the affordable British family car of the 1950s, over 1.6 million built. A green Morris Minor saloon parked on cobbles outside a brick building in Ely https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-f-1959-15818644048-1600.jpg A 1959 Vauxhall Victor F. The first British car designed from the start for serious export, styled after the 1955 Chevrolet and sold by the hundred thousand, though its rapid rust soon became national folk knowledge. A two-tone green-over-cream Vauxhall Victor F (1959) at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/caterham-seven-red-caterham-seven-style-lightweight-sports-car-on-grass-14285452-1600.jpg The Lotus Seven, launched by Colin Chapman in 1957 and still built today as the Caterham Seven. The purest expression of the lightweight British specialist tradition that took shape in this decade. A red Caterham Seven lightweight sports car on grass https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/front-view-of-a-vintage-austin-healey-car-displayed-in-a-classic-29887257-1600.jpg A big Austin-Healey. With the MG TC, the MGA, and the Jaguar XK120 it built the American market for British sports cars from scratch, the export drive that carried the industry through the rationing years. A vintage Austin-Healey roadster shown head-on in a classic car display https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/triumph-tr3-2308412213-1600.jpg A Triumph TR3. The disc-braked development of the TR2 that gave Triumph its affordable sports-car identity, the budget alternative to MG and Austin-Healey through the late 1950s. A pale blue Triumph TR3 roadster with wire wheels and faired-in soft top, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/mg-magnette-za-1955-14268401737-1600.jpg An MG Magnette ZA (1955). The Wolseley-derived sports saloon that put an MG grille and twin-carb engine on a monocoque four-door, the badge-engineering BMC would lean on for the next twenty years. A dark red MG Magnette ZA saloon (1955), front three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/rover-p4-100-3776165568-1600.jpg A Rover P4, the wood-and-leather "Auntie" Rover that was the conservative middle-class executive saloon of the 1950s, built in much the same shape from 1949 to 1964. A black Rover P4 saloon with chrome grille and round headlamps, front three-quarter view outside a brick building https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-anglia-deluxe-105e-2309995519-1600.jpg A Ford Anglia 105E. Launched in 1959 with its reverse-rake rear window and overhead-valve engine, the small Ford that replaced the side-valve 100E and ran into the 1960s. A pale green Ford Anglia 105E two-door saloon with reverse-rake rear window, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/cars-from-the-1960s/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-green-jaguar-e-type-parked-outside-an-elegant-building-15549084-1600.jpg A Jaguar E-Type, the shape of British 1960s motoring at its most exportable. A sage-green Jaguar E-Type coupe in side profile, with chrome wire wheels and whitewall tyres, parked outside a lamplit hotel entrance at dusk https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/red-mini-cooper-parked-on-a-picturesque-country-road-with-hills-in-17485389-867.jpg A classic Mini in red with the contrasting white roof, the small-car shape that stayed in production for over forty years. A red classic Mini with a white roof parked on a moorland road in the British countryside https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-white-jaguar-e-type-roadster-parked-beside-historic-buildings-12582269-1600.jpg A Jaguar E-Type Series 1 roadster, the covered-headlamp shape that defined the British supercar moment of the early 1960s. A white Jaguar E-Type Series 1 roadster parked beside a Victorian stone building https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/mg-mgb-mg-mgb-classic-roadster-8767056-864.jpg An MGB roadster, the affordable chrome-bumper sports car that sold in huge numbers and helped drive Britain's export boom. A red MG MGB roadster with chrome bumpers parked in a courtyard https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/black-vintage-car-parked-indoors-against-brick-walls-36641210-1600.jpg A Jaguar Mk2, the compact sports saloon that put genuine pace and Jaguar luxury within reach of the British middle class. A dark Jaguar Mk2 saloon with chrome wire wheels https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/aston-martin-db5-silver-aston-martin-db5-displayed-indoors-37721622-1600.jpg An Aston Martin DB5 in silver, the grand tourer fixed in the popular imagination by the 1964 film Goldfinger. A silver Aston Martin DB5 viewed from the rear three-quarter https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-series-land-rover-series-in-an-off-road-utility-vehicle-36592319-1446.jpg A Land Rover Series in Bronze Green, the go-anywhere workhorse that became a fixture of the British countryside. A Bronze Green Land Rover Series with a bonnet-mounted spare wheel https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-101-1966-36999066984-1600.jpg A 1966 Vauxhall Victor 101. The kind of high-volume British saloon that sold in the hundreds of thousands in the 1960s and was then scrapped so completely that survivors are now genuinely rare. A pale green Vauxhall Victor 101 (1966) shown from a high front three-quarter angle in a museum https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/aston-martin-db6-aston-martin-db6-parked-at-donington-park-28426963-877.jpg An Aston Martin DB6. With the E-Type, the Mini, the DB5, and the Elan it belongs to the run of cars that made the 1960s the high-water mark of British design confidence. A silver-grey Aston Martin DB6 viewed from the rear three-quarter at Donington Park https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-lotus-elan-527281772-1000.jpg A Lotus Elan. Colin Chapman's lightweight twin-cam roadster, small, perfectly balanced, and the purest expression of what a 1960s Lotus should be, now among the most valuable 1960s British sports cars. A white Lotus Elan roadster with the bonnet and boot raised at a show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-lotus-cortina-mk1-2665985534-1600.jpg A Lotus Cortina Mk1. The twin-cam touring-car homologation of Ford's everyman saloon, a championship winner in Jim Clark's hands and the sporting end of the Cortina story. A white Lotus Cortina Mk1 in Team Lotus green-stripe livery cornering on a track https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1962-triumph-tr4-5965638968-1600.jpg A Triumph TR4. The Michelotti-styled successor to the TR3, wider and more modern, that carried Triumph's affordable-roadster line into the mid-1960s. A white Triumph TR4 roadster with wire wheels, front three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/cars-from-the-1970s/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-car-parked-outside-a-colorful-hotel-facade-18211580-975.jpg A Triumph TR6, the sharp-tailed six-cylinder roadster that ran right through the British 1970s. A British Racing Green Triumph TR6 roadster with chrome wire wheels, parked outside a yellow-painted hotel with green awnings https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-silver-mgb-gt-classic-sports-car-parked-outdoors-in-the-picturesque-29870152-1600.jpg An MGB GT. The closed, practical version of the MGB, the honest and fixable roadster that fixed the 1970s in British sports-car form. A silver MGB GT coupe with chrome bumpers and Rostyle wheels, parked on a driveway with woodland behind https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-capri-mk1-a-classic-ford-capri-mk1-sweeps-through-the-cones-13602944-1600.jpg A Ford Capri Mk1. The British coupe of the 1970s in the everyman sense: cheaper than an Aston, more aspirational than a Cortina. A silver Ford Capri Mk1 cornering through cones at a track day with spectators behind https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/rover-sd1-red-rover-sd1-parked-at-night-showing-its-wedge-shaped-10591517-975.jpg A Rover SD1. David Bache's Ferrari-Daytona-influenced hatchback saloon, powered by the aluminium Rover V8, patchy early build quality and all. The front of a red Rover SD1, its wedge-shaped bonnet and grille lit at night https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/yellow-ford-escort-rally-car-in-action-at-weston-park-during-a-36907708-1600.jpg A Mk1 Ford Escort on a rally stage. The RS Escorts are the cars most people picture when someone says classic fast Ford. A yellow Mk1 Ford Escort rally car, number 27, cornering hard on a rally stage https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-marina-1-3-gt-1972-19801880285-1600.jpg A 1972 Austin Marina 1.3 GT. The Marina was British Leyland's big bet on the Cortina-class family market, and the GT badge marked trim rather than real pace on the standard 1.3-litre A-series engine. A black 1972 Austin Marina 1.3 GT four-door saloon with red coachline and GT badging, front three-quarter view at a UK classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/onj160m-hillman-avenger-53971685521-1600.jpg A mid-1970s Hillman Avenger. The kind of everyday 1970s saloon that sold in huge numbers, was scrapped almost completely, and is now a genuinely rare survivor at any classic show. A brown metallic Hillman Avenger four-door saloon (M registration, 1973-74), front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-black-lotus-esprit-parked-in-a-residential-london-area-showcasing-vintage-17852355-1600.jpg A Lotus Esprit, launched in 1976. The folded-paper Giugiaro wedge is the confident, slightly odd design streak the 1970s ran right alongside all the industrial trouble. A black Lotus Esprit with a gold side stripe parked on a driveway in front of a country house https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/triumph-stag-2308311413-1600.jpg A Triumph Stag. Beautiful Michelotti body, a V8 grand tourer with a removable hardtop, and an engine that overheated so predictably the car spent decades living down the reputation, now fixable and rewarding. A white Triumph Stag convertible with its T-bar roll bar, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/triumph-tr7-2650492521-1600.jpg A Triumph TR7. The wedge-shaped shape-of-things-to-come that divided opinion in 1975 and has been re-evaluated upwards since, the last of the volume Triumph sports cars. A red Triumph TR7 coupe shown head-on, its wedge nose and pop-up headlamps down https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-allegro-3262386171-1600.jpg An Austin Allegro (1973-82). One of the three British Leyland family cars the press never forgave, sold in huge numbers, scrapped almost completely, and now a rare survivor with a devoted following. A gold Austin Allegro four-door saloon, rear three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/museum-collections-centre-25-dollman-street-reliant-robin-7278803034-1600.jpg A Reliant Robin. Three wheels, a fibreglass body, an 850cc engine, and a motorcycle-licence loophole, the most British of British classics in that everyone has a strong opinion about it. A maroon Reliant Robin three-wheeler estate parked outside a workshop https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/cars-from-the-1980s/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-black-lotus-esprit-parked-in-a-residential-london-area-showcasing-vintage-17852355-1600.jpg A Lotus Esprit, the folded-paper wedge that carried Lotus through the 1980s. A black Lotus Esprit with a gold side stripe and an A-suffix number plate, parked on a driveway in front of a country house https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-classic-red-ford-escort-1-6-gl-parked-outdoors-showcasing-retro-17719812-867.jpg A Ford Escort Mk3, the front-wheel-drive shape that carried the XR3i. This is where the hot-Ford badge moved onto the suburban driveway. A red Ford Escort Mk3 five-door hatchback, rear three-quarter, parked beside a stone-clad office building https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-range-rover-classic-land-rover-range-rover-classic-classic-british-33510561-867.jpg A Range Rover Classic. Across the 1980s it turned from useful country vehicle into socially aspirational object, four doors and Vogue trim and all. A gunmetal Range Rover Classic four-door parked on a street under blossom trees https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/rover-sd1-red-rover-sd1-parked-at-night-showing-its-wedge-shaped-10591517-975.jpg A Rover SD1. The Ferrari-Daytona-influenced executive hatchback ran until 1986, when the Honda-collaborated Rover 800 took over and never quite held the segment the SD1 had. The front of a red Rover SD1, its wedge-shaped bonnet and grille lit at night https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-silver-rolls-royce-parked-on-a-charming-street-in-london-capturing-10392337-1600.jpg A Rolls-Royce of the Silver Spirit era. Through the 1980s Bentley reinvented itself with the Turbo R and, for the first time in living memory, outsold Rolls-Royce by the end of the decade. A silver Rolls-Royce saloon parked on a London street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/lma477y-morris-ital-53041457835-1600.jpg A Morris Ital. The Italdesign facelift of the 1971 Marina ran at Cowley until 1984 and was the last new car to wear the Morris badge, the decade's clearest holdover from the British Leyland years. A cream Morris Ital four-door saloon (Y plate, 1982-83), front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-silver-mgb-gt-classic-sports-car-parked-outdoors-in-the-picturesque-29870152-1600.jpg An MGB GT. The traditional sports car that the MGB and the TR6 had defined collapsed as a segment during the 1980s, squeezed out as much by the hot hatch as by Abingdon's closure in 1980. A silver MGB GT coupe with chrome bumpers and Rostyle wheels, parked on a driveway with woodland behind https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/tvr-350i-1987-52279071372-1600.jpg A TVR 350i. The first proper Peter-Wheeler-era TVR, glassfibre-bodied over the Rover V8, the car that turned the Blackpool firm into a serious sports-car maker through the 1980s. A red TVR 350i convertible, front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car gathering https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-astra-gte-1991-50374567307-1600.jpg A Vauxhall Astra GTE. The British answer to the Golf GTI generation, and the one period hot hatch outside the fast Fords that has aged into a properly respected classic. A red Vauxhall Astra GTE hatchback, rear three-quarter view on grass at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-sierra-32303544761-1443.jpg A Ford Sierra. The aerodynamic shape that replaced the upright Cortina was divisive when new and has aged into appreciation, the everyday British family car of the decade. A silver Ford Sierra five-door hatchback, front three-quarter view in a car park https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-fiesta-xr2-1989-52214522792-1600.jpg A Ford Fiesta XR2. The small, cheap hot hatch that put the fast-Ford badge within reach of younger buyers, the entry point below the XR3i and the Cosworths. A grey Ford Fiesta XR2 three-door hatchback with red pinstripe and alloy wheels, side view by a stone wall https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/i-used-to-think-the-metro-was-small-3031549812-1600.jpg A classic Mini, the car the 1980 Austin Metro was meant to replace. The Mini outlasted its own successor and soldiered on to 2000 in essentially its 1959 form. A silver Mini parked beside a vintage car, the small-car comparison the 1980s Austin Metro was built to win https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-allegro-3262386171-1600.jpg An Austin Allegro, another British Leyland saloon that ran into the early 1980s before the Maestro and Montego replaced it, part of the industrial backdrop the decade's brighter cars emerged from. A gold Austin Allegro four-door saloon, rear three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/cars-from-the-1990s/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xj-black-1990s-jaguar-xj-saloon-on-a-tree-lined-road-12808913-1600.jpg A 1990s Jaguar XJ. While McLaren and TVR grabbed the headlines, the old marques were quietly fighting to survive. A black 1990s Jaguar XJ saloon, the four-headlamp X300 shape, parked on a tree-lined road in golden evening light https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-classic-silver-tvr-race-car-captured-at-speed-on-a-racing-37387651-867.jpg A TVR Tuscan. By the end of the 1990s Peter Wheeler's TVR was building several thousand fast, dramatic, temperamental sports cars a year. The front of a silver TVR Tuscan at speed on a circuit, registration "X400 TUS" https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/mg-rv8-green-roadster-driving-11605402-1600.jpg An MG RV8. The limited-run 1992 revival of the MGB shape with a Rover V8, about 2,000 built, and MG's first sports car in a decade. A dark green MG RV8 roadster, rear three-quarter, driving on a tree-lined road https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/krypton-green-lotus-elise-2306132289-1000.jpg A Series 1 Lotus Elise. Aluminium bonded chassis, 725 kg, faster round a circuit than cars with three times the power, and the car that made Lotus profitable and proved the 1990s wasn't all decline. A bright lime-green Lotus Elise Series 1 roadster, front three-quarter view on a tarmac apron https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/caterham-seven-red-caterham-seven-style-lightweight-sports-car-on-grass-14285452-1600.jpg A Caterham Seven. The Elise kicked off a modern lightweight movement that the Caterham, itself the surviving 1957 Lotus Seven, had quietly carried through the lean years before it. A red Caterham Seven lightweight sports car on grass https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-escort-rs-cosworth-1993-54113868808-1600.jpg A Ford Escort RS Cosworth. Four-wheel drive, a 2.0 turbo, a comically large rear wing, and the last car of the Cosworth-Ford lineage that started with the Sierra in 1986. A red Ford Escort RS Cosworth with its large rear wing, front three-quarter view on a circuit paddock https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1996-jaguar-xk8-40-coupe-33752654328-1600.jpg A 1996 Jaguar XK8. Jaguar's first proper sports-GT since the XJS, styled with a nod back to the E-Type, and the most successful new-model launch of Jaguar's Ford-era decade. A blue 1996 Jaguar XK8 coupe, front view on display in a museum https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/aston-martin-db-7-2146693657-1280.jpg An Aston Martin DB7. Ian Callum's design sold more cars than any previous Aston, roughly seven thousand, and paid for the DB9 and the whole modern lineup that followed. A British Racing Green Aston Martin DB7 coupe, rear three-quarter view parked on a street https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-defender-a-land-rover-defender-parked-in-a-vibrant-autumn-10108437-1600.jpg A Land Rover Defender. Renamed from the Ninety and One Ten in 1990, it ran alongside the new Discovery and the P38 Range Rover as Land Rover entered the decade with three distinct model lines. A silver Land Rover Defender parked on a leaf-strewn track in an autumn forest https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/goodwood-breakfast-club-jaguar-xj220-1526059639-1600.jpg A Jaguar XJ220. 217 mph and, briefly, the fastest production car in the world, troubled by a recession and the switch from the concept's V12 to a twin-turbo V6, it spent years unloved before re-evaluation lifted prices back up. A silver Jaguar XJ220 supercar, front three-quarter view in a paddock https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/tvr-chimaera-4-0-1994-14439611345-1600.jpg A TVR Chimaera. The softer, more usable Rover-V8 roadster alongside the Griffith, part of the Peter Wheeler range that had TVR building several thousand cars a year by the end of the decade. A dark red TVR Chimaera roadster, front three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/mg-mgf-16314557189-1300.jpg An MGF. MG's proper return to sports cars in 1995, a mid-engined K-series roadster aimed at the Mazda MX-5 and BMW Z3, and one of the more affordable late-1990s British classics today. A purple MGF mid-engined roadster parked by a building, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/classic-car-number-plates/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-healey-3000-2651383360-1600.jpg A pre-1980 Austin-Healey 3000 wearing the black-and-silver plates that suit a car of its age. The silver-on-black finish is legal only on cars built before 1 January 1980 and recorded in the historic tax class. The front of a powder-blue Austin-Healey 3000 sports car showing a black-and-silver number plate reading PSJ 242 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/classic-car-tyres/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-healey-3000-4666234123-1024.jpg An Austin-Healey 3000 on chrome wire wheels and period-correct tyres. The right tyre for a classic is a matter of both the handling it was set up for and the way it looks. A two-tone light blue and cream Austin-Healey 3000 with chrome wire wheels and period tyres, side three-quarter view on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/classic-tractors/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/massey-ferguson-135-with-a-plough-in-bolton-by-bowland-england-16240769-1600.jpg A Massey Ferguson 135 ploughing at a match. The classic British tractor is a living thing, still working fields and drawing crowds at shows and ploughing matches across the country. A red Massey Ferguson 135 ploughing a field at a ploughing match, seen from behind with a mounted plough, other classic tractors working in the distance https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/classic-vans/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/lmg309k-morris-minor-van-gpo-telephones-yellow-livery-5224342026-1600.jpg A Post Office Telephones Morris Minor van. The everyday working vehicles of post-war Britain are now among its most sought-after classics. A yellow Post Office Telephones Morris Minor van with a ladder on the roof rack, on a country road https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/david-brown/tractors/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/david-brown-selectamatic-990-54220729498-1080.jpg A David Brown Selectamatic 990 in the marque's later white livery. The 990 is the most familiar classic David Brown and an affordable way into the marque built by the same company that owned Aston Martin. A David Brown Selectamatic 990 tractor in white with a cab, side view, the David Brown Selectamatic 990 name visible on the bonnet https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/david-brown-tractor-1957-48287755692-1600.jpg An earlier red David Brown from 1957, fitted with a mid-mounted toolbar. The marque built steadily through the 1950s and 1960s before the white Selectamatic era arrived. A red 1957 David Brown tractor with a mid-mounted toolbar implement, viewed from above in a yard https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/decades/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/line-of-vintage-cars-displayed-in-an-indoor-showroom-21051433-867.jpg A line of classics under one roof. Each decade from the 1940s on added its own shapes to the British story. A line of classic cars displayed end-on in a darkened museum hall, chrome grilles and headlamps catching the light https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-green-jaguar-e-type-parked-outside-an-elegant-building-15549084-1600.jpg A Jaguar E-Type, the most recognised British classic of all and the emblem of the 1960s, the decade most enthusiasts treat as the high-water mark of British car making. A sage-green Jaguar E-Type coupe parked outside a lamplit building at dusk https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-series-1-1952-14061238503-1600.jpg A Land Rover Series I. Launched in 1948, it was one of the cars that began the post-war restart, and it went on to run in recognisable form for almost seventy years. A dark green Land Rover Series I soft-top, three-quarter front view, on show grass https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-saloon-green-3791376-1600.jpg A Morris Minor, the everyman saloon of the late-1940s restart, drawn by Alec Issigonis a decade before he gave Britain the Mini. A dark green Morris Minor two-door saloon with cream wheels, three-quarter front view, parked on cobbles before a brick building https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-healey-roadster-cafe-5254491-1600.jpg An Austin-Healey. From the 1953 'Hundred' onwards, the big Healey roadster was one of the cars that built the 1950s sports-car export boom. A red Austin-Healey roadster with wire wheels and the top folded down, parked at the kerb outside a busy cafe https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/mini-cooper-green-white-roof-front-9828304-975.jpg A Mini Cooper. Launched in 1959, the Mini ran for over forty years and is the other car, alongside the E-Type, that most people picture when they think of the 1960s. A British racing green Mini Cooper with a white roof and twin bonnet stripes, parked in front of a white stucco terrace https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/mg-mgb-mg-mgb-classic-roadster-8767056-864.jpg An MGB, the affordable open sports car that ran from 1962 to 1980 and sold in huge numbers, a thread that crosses the 1960s and 1970s pages alike. A red MG MGB roadster with chrome bumpers parked in a courtyard https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-capri-mk1-a-classic-ford-capri-mk1-sweeps-through-the-cones-13602944-1600.jpg A Ford Capri, the people's coupe of the 1970s, one of the everyday cars that defined an era as much as the famous sports cars did. A silver Ford Capri Mk1 cornering through cones at a track day https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-range-rover-classic-land-rover-range-rover-classic-classic-british-33510561-867.jpg A Range Rover Classic, the 1970 design that spent the 1980s turning from country workhorse into status object, a story the later decade pages pick up. A gunmetal Range Rover Classic four-door parked on a street under blossom trees https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/d797rjn-ford-sierra-cosworth-4x4-52079097340-1600.jpg A Ford Sierra Cosworth. The Sierra and Sapphire Cosworths made the late 1980s the years the fast Ford turned giant-killer, on the road and the rally stage alike. A silver Ford Sierra Cosworth with a tall whale-tail rear spoiler, three-quarter front view on show grass https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/tvr-griffith-2650574761-1600.jpg A TVR Griffith. The Blackpool firm's Rover-V8 roadster announced the 1990s specialist boom, when the small workshops inherited the sports-car ground the volume makers had left. A metallic blue-green TVR Griffith convertible, head-on front view, against a wooden fence and hedge https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/lotus-elise-1998-47260513981-1600.jpg A Lotus Elise. The featherweight Hethel sports car of 1996 capped the 1990s small-volume renaissance and is now itself crossing into classic status. A British racing green Lotus Elise Series 1 with gold wheels, three-quarter front view at a classic-car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/ferguson/te20/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1946-1956-ferguson-te20-front-104509436-1600.jpg The little grey Fergie. Small, light, and painted a single modest grey, the Ferguson TE20 carried Harry Ferguson's three-point system to ordinary farms and changed how the world farmed. A grey Ferguson TE20 tractor, front three-quarter view, showing the upright exhaust and the single shade of grey paint, standing in a field https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/three-point-linkage-ferguson-te-20-abergavenny-15359463-1600.jpg The Ferguson System itself: the three-point hydraulic linkage at the back of a TE20. This arrangement, carrying the implement and controlling it automatically, is the idea almost every tractor since has copied. Close-up of the rear three-point hydraulic linkage of a Ferguson TE20, showing the lift arms, top-link mount and power take-off between the rear tyres https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ferguson-te20-tractor-flickr-mick-lumix-18301016-1600.jpg A beautifully restored TE20 on the show field. Simple, affordable, and endlessly supported by clubs and specialists, the Fergie is one of the easiest of all classics to own and to show. A restored grey Ferguson TE20 on show, side-front view, lined up with other classic tractors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/ford/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-lotus-cortina-mk1-2665985534-1600.jpg A Lotus Cortina at Goodwood. The Jim Clark touring-car car is where Ford's British performance story really begins, built around the Cortina that anchored the whole range. A white Ford Lotus Cortina Mk1 with a green side flash, number 109 and Team Lotus lettering, cornering at the Goodwood Festival of Speed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-anglia-deluxe-105e-2309995519-1600.jpg The Ford Anglia 105E. Halewood opened in 1963 to build it, before the plant turned to the Escort that replaced it. A pale green Ford Anglia 105E Deluxe with its reverse-rake rear window, front three-quarter view at a classic car meeting https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-sierra-32303544761-1443.jpg The aerodynamic Sierra of 1982 replaced the upright Cortina and divided opinion in a way the Cortina never had. A silver Ford Sierra five-door hatchback, front three-quarter view in a car park https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/grey-ford-escort-mk2-rally-car-cornering-36907726-1600.jpg The rear-drive Escort Mk2 in rally trim. In RS form it took Ford the 1979 World Rally Championship and made the badge a legend. A grey Ford Escort Mk2 rally car, number 52 on gold wheels with flared arches, sliding through a corner https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/c345hke-ford-granada-scorpio-4x4-53873496209-1600.jpg The Granada Scorpio, Ford's executive flagship. Britain sold this car as the Granada; most of Europe knew it as the Scorpio. A champagne Ford Granada Scorpio 4x4, a 1986 C-registered car, at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-escort-rs-cosworth-1993-54113868808-1600.jpg The Escort RS Cosworth, the turbocharged four-wheel-drive homologation special that crowned the front-drive Escort range. A red Ford Escort RS Cosworth with bonnet vents and a front splitter, front three-quarter view at a track meeting https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/blue-ford-capri-mk2-parked-outside-brick-building-11064987-1600.jpg The Ford Capri, the affordable British coupe of the 1970s. The Cortina's running gear made into a sports car for the everyman. A blue Ford Capri Mk2 coupe parked outside a brick building, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1970-ford-capri-gt-v6-ad-3839715396-990.jpg A period Capri advertisement. Ford sold the Capri on the promise of cheap V6 muscle, the going thing of the early 1970s. A period Ford advertisement headed New Capri V6, new shape of power for the 70s, with illustrations of the Capri coupe https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-sierra-cosworth-1986-18942179080-1600.jpg The Sierra RS Cosworth, the turbocharged Ford that began the Cosworth performance lineage the Sapphire and the Escort carried on. A silver Ford Sierra RS Cosworth three-door with its whale-tail rear spoiler and bonnet vents, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-fiesta-xr2-1989-52214522792-1600.jpg The Fiesta XR2, Ford's hot supermini. The Fiesta took Ford into the small-car class it had left to others, and the XR2 made it quick. A grey Ford Fiesta XR2 hot hatchback with a red pinstripe and alloy wheels, side view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/orange-ford-cortina-mk4-parked-on-a-sunlit-street-21753211-21753211-975.jpg The everyday Cortina, the squared-off Mk4 that led the British sales charts, the volume heart of the range. An orange Ford Cortina Mk4 four-door saloon parked on a sunlit street, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-escort-rs2000-1978-27863390728-1600.jpg The Escort RS2000 and its droop-snoot nose, the rally-bred Escort in the form most people remember. A yellow Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 with its black droop-snoot nose, front three-quarter view at a seafront gathering https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/ford/cortina/mk4/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/orange-ford-cortina-mk4-parked-on-a-sunlit-street-21753211-21753211-975.jpg A Cortina Mk4 in period orange. The squared-off body replaced the curvy Mk3 and kept Ford at the top of the British sales charts. An orange Ford Cortina Mk4 four-door saloon parked on a sunlit street, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-ford-te-cortina-ghia-saloon-12428136764-1600.jpg The Ghia was the Mk4's new range-topper, with vinyl roof, alloy wheels and a plusher cabin, replacing the old GXL and 2000E badges. A white Ford Cortina Mk4 Ghia four-door saloon with a brown vinyl roof, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-cortina-mk4-10-3-07-1768649-1600.jpg An ordinary Cortina at the kerb in front of British flats. This was the everyday shape of the late 1970s, seen on every street. A dark blue Ford Cortina Mk4 four-door saloon parked on a British street in front of brick flats, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1979-ford-cortina-1-6-l-mk-iv-9743020694-38912312-1600.jpg A Cortina Mk4 left to the weather. Most went exactly this way, which is why a sound, dry-stored one is now a rare find. A faded red Ford Cortina Mk4 four-door saloon, rear three-quarter view, parked in long grass beside a barn https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1976-ford-cortina-1-6-gl-4-door-saloon-in-white-rare-now-9251095868-38912301-1600.jpg A 1976 Cortina 1.6 GL, among the first Mk4s and now rare in plain mid-range trim. A white 1976 Ford Cortina 1.6 GL four-door saloon in a car park, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/yjf18s-ford-cortina-ghia-54549258087-1600.jpg A Cortina Mk4 Ghia in light blue, the comfortable, well-equipped top of the range. A light blue Ford Cortina Mk4 Ghia four-door saloon with a black vinyl roof, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-ford-cortina-estate-1-6-l-from-portugal-52800455129-1600.jpg The five-door estate, the practical Cortina that did the family and tradesman's work. A lime green 1977 Ford Cortina Mk4 estate on display indoors at a motor museum, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-ford-cortina-2-0-ghia-estate-14102088731-38605550-1600.jpg A Ghia estate, the wood-and-velour treatment carried over into the load-carrier. A brown Ford Cortina Mk4 Ghia estate on grass at a classic car show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/abandoned-ford-cortina-mk-iv-10654490113-38911537-1600.jpg A tired survivor from behind, showing the square tail and upright glass of the Mk4. A weathered blue Ford Cortina Mk4 four-door saloon against a white wall, rear three-quarter view with the exhaust hanging down https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-cortina-2-0-l-mark-iv-front-denpasar-21131369286-66025536-1600.jpg The Cortina was a world Ford as well as a British one. This 2.0L Mk4 still works the street in Indonesia. A black Ford Cortina 2.0L Mk4 parked on a street in Denpasar, Indonesia, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-ford-te-cortina-mk4-ad-4893090059-991.jpg A period Cortina advertisement from 1977. Ford sold the Mk4 on plain sense, space and economy rather than excitement, and it stayed the model to beat. A 1977 magazine advertisement for the Ford Cortina headed The beautiful fact, showing the squared-off Mk4 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/ford/cortina/mk5/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/avx466x-1981-ford-cortina-ghia-51349042134-1600.jpg A 1981 Cortina Ghia, the car Ford badged the Cortina 80 and everyone else called the Mk5. The slatted grille and larger glass mark it out from the Mk4. A bronze 1981 Ford Cortina Ghia four-door saloon, the Cortina 80 facelift, on display at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-cortina-1-6-crusader-1982-51536945387-1600.jpg The Crusader, the run-out special edition and the highest-specified Cortina of all. The badge on the bootlid marks out the model the very last cars wore. A blue 1982 Ford Cortina Crusader four-door saloon, rear three-quarter view at a classic car show, the Cortina 1.6 Crusader badge visible on the boot https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-sierra-32303544761-1443.jpg The Sierra that replaced it. Conservative buyers resisted the jelly-mould shape at first, some choosing the last discounted Cortinas instead. A silver Ford Sierra five-door hatchback, front three-quarter view in a car park https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1982-ford-cortina-s-pack-11681634924-38922193-1600.jpg A Cortina with the S pack, the sporting option that replaced the standalone S model: driving lamps, firmer suspension and badging. A red Ford Cortina Mk5 four-door saloon with S-pack driving lamps and trim, front three-quarter view on a suburban street https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1983-ford-cortina-2-3-ghia-mk5-125661839-1600.jpg The 2.3 Ghia, the V6 at the top of the range. Electronic ignition lifted the Cologne V6 to around 116 brake horsepower for the Cortina 80. A silver Ford Cortina Mk5 2.3 Ghia four-door saloon with a red pinstripe, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1981-ford-cortina-mk-v-bakkie-pickup-21602246-1600.jpg South Africa built the Cortina as a pickup, the bakkie. Few Britons ever saw one; the open bonnet shows the familiar Ford four underneath. A white Ford Cortina Mk5 pickup, a South African bakkie, with its bonnet raised showing the engine bay, at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1982-ford-cortina-1-6-l-estate-14289891016-38605465-1600.jpg The Mk5 estate, the load-carrier that saw out the line alongside the saloon. A red 1982 Ford Cortina Mk5 five-door estate, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1980-ford-cortina-1-6l-saloon-14510868570-38921756-1600.jpg A base 1.6L Mk5. The plain trim is the version that actually filled the company car parks. An orange Ford Cortina Mk5 1.6L four-door saloon on display in a museum with aircraft behind, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1981-ford-cortina-2-0l-mk5-29998777564-70438147-1600.jpg A 2.0L Mk5, the Pinto-engined mid-range saloon that did the long motorway miles. A sage green Ford Cortina Mk5 2.0L four-door saloon, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/ford/escort/mk2/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-escort-rs2000-1978-27863390728-1600.jpg The Escort RS2000 and its polyurethane droop-snoot nose. The sloped front was unique to the RS2000 and is the Mk2's most recognisable face. A yellow Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 with its black polyurethane droop-snoot nose, front three-quarter view at a seafront classic car gathering https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/brown-ford-escort-mk2-four-door-on-a-tree-lined-street-30177322-30177322-975.jpg The ordinary Escort, the one most people actually owned. Plain saloons like this were everywhere and are now the rarest survivors. An olive-brown Ford Escort Mk2 four-door saloon, side profile, parked on a street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-ford-rs1800-mk2-escort-ad-3368141454-1144.jpg Ford sold the rally success hard. The RS1800 homologated the works car that won rally after rally, and very few road RS1800s were ever built. A period Ford advertisement headed Ford 1-2 again, showing an Escort RS1800 rally car kicking up dust and announcing its win on the 1977 Alpine Rally https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/grey-ford-escort-mk2-rally-car-cornering-36907726-1600.jpg A Mk2 in rally trim, the form that won Ford the 1979 World Rally Championship. Boreham built the works cars; the road RS models homologated them. A grey Ford Escort Mk2 rally car, number 52 on gold wheels with flared arches, sliding through a corner https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1975-ford-escort-rs2000-rear-84937709-1600.jpg An RS2000 from behind, showing the side stripe and badge. The Pinto-engined RS2000 was the quick Escort most people could actually buy. A light blue Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 with blue side stripes, rear three-quarter view indoors at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1976-ford-escort-mark-ii-rs-mexico-1-6-2-door-sedan-21394861674-45548087-1600.jpg The Mexico, the affordable rally-flavoured Escort that carried the name of Ford's 1970 World Cup Rally win. A red Ford Escort Mk2 two-door RS Mexico, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-ford-escort-mark-ii-ghia-4-door-sedan-24242340394-46872016-1600.jpg The Ghia, the unlikely luxury Escort: vinyl roof, cloth trim and brightwork on the humblest car in Ford's range. A green Ford Escort Mk2 Ghia four-door saloon with a tan vinyl roof, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-ford-escort-mark-ii-gl-2-0-2-door-sedan-15174533611-37783883-1600.jpg A GL two-door, the trim and body shape most associated with the sporting Escorts. A red Ford Escort Mk2 GL two-door saloon, front three-quarter view on grass at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1978-ford-escort-mark-ii-gl-rally-pack-2-0-2-door-sedan-15824339569-37784066-1600.jpg A GL with the rally-pack stripes, the look that borrowed from the works cars without the works price. A blue-green Ford Escort Mk2 GL with rally-pack side stripes and a boot spoiler, rear three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1975-ford-escort-mark-ii-xl-1-3-sedan-8882954827-38827221-1600.jpg An XL 1.3, the everyday Escort that did the school run while the RS cars won rallies. A beige Ford Escort Mk2 XL 1.3 four-door saloon, front three-quarter view on grass at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1978-ford-escort-mark-ii-gl-1-6-4-door-sedan-5356475856-27788846-1280.jpg A four-door GL from behind, the family-friendly Escort with a little extra trim. A gold Ford Escort Mk2 GL 1.6 four-door saloon, rear three-quarter view in front of a brick building https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/ford/escort/mk5/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-escort-rs-cosworth-1993-54113868808-1600.jpg The Escort RS Cosworth, the car that rescued the Mk5's reputation. Under the Escort-shaped panels sits Sierra Cosworth four-wheel-drive running gear. A red Ford Escort RS Cosworth with bonnet vents and a front splitter, front three-quarter view at a track meeting https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-escort-1-8-dx-1990-50540466378-1600.jpg The ordinary Mk5 the press savaged: a 1990 1.8 DX. Cheap when new, unloved for years, and now genuinely rare. A red 1990 Ford Escort 1.8 DX five-door hatchback, rear three-quarter view on a UK street https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1995-ford-escort-rs2000-rear-79989465-1600.jpg The RS2000, the affordable hot Escort: a 2.0 16-valve making 148 brake horsepower, the everyday end of the performance range. A red Ford Escort RS2000, rear three-quarter view with the Escort RS2000 badge and boot spoiler visible https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1994-ford-escort-rs-cosworth-2-0-turbo-53279035161-139397712-1600.jpg The whale-tail. The huge twin-plane rear wing is the RS Cosworth's signature, and it was there for downforce, not show. A yellow Ford Escort RS Cosworth, rear three-quarter view showing the large twin-plane whale-tail rear wing https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1992-ford-escort-rs-cosworth-group-a-rally-car-154177297-1600.jpg The reason it existed: the Group A rally car the road cars were built to homologate, here in works Mobil 1 colours. A white and blue Ford Escort RS Cosworth Group A rally car in Mobil 1 livery, number 1, at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1992-ford-escort-rs-cosworth-1-137269908-1600.jpg A road RS Cosworth, the bonnet vents feeding the intercooler and the deep splitter marking it out from any ordinary Escort. A teal Ford Escort RS Cosworth, front three-quarter view at a classic car show, showing the bonnet vents and front splitter https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1994-ford-escort-rs-cosworth-monte-53728372877-173410514-1600.jpg Under the bonnet, the Cosworth YB: a turbocharged 2.0-litre four, about 224 brake horsepower, driving all four wheels. The engine bay of a maroon Ford Escort RS Cosworth, bonnet raised, showing the turbocharged Cosworth YB engine https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1992-ford-escort-rs-cosworth-luxury-14958375416-38605013-1600.jpg An RS Cosworth in Luxury trim, which added air conditioning and leather to the homologation special. A dark green Ford Escort RS Cosworth Luxury, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/ford/granada/mk3/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/c345hke-ford-granada-scorpio-4x4-53873496209-1600.jpg A Granada Scorpio 4x4 from 1986. The hatchback body and standard anti-lock brakes made it the most advanced executive Ford yet. A champagne Ford Granada Scorpio 4x4, a 1986 C-registered car, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1986-ford-scorpio-2-8i-v6-ghia-rear-104020221-1600.jpg Badged Scorpio for the Continent. The five-door hatchback tail set the car apart from every conventional executive saloon. A grey Ford Scorpio 2.8i Ghia, rear three-quarter view on a street, the hatchback tailgate and Scorpio badge visible https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1988-merkur-scorpio-interior-15660298506-37747090-1600.jpg Inside, equipment was the pitch: a level of standard kit, and standard anti-lock brakes, that undercut the German rivals. The interior of a Ford Granada Mk3, showing the steering wheel, instrument cluster and dashboard through the driver's window https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1990-ford-scorpio-cosworth-137271935-1600.jpg The flagship: the 2.9 24-valve V6 with Cosworth-developed heads, about 192 brake horsepower, the fastest of the range. A dark red Ford Scorpio 24v Cosworth, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ford-granada-2-0-1994-53805607061-1600.jpg A late Granada 2.0 of 1993, wearing the Mondeo-preview facelift front. Ordinary cars like this are now nearly extinct. A blue 1993 Ford Granada 2.0 five-door hatchback parked by a brick wall, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1990-ford-granada-2-0-gli-saloon-19383205409-41634311-1600.jpg The four-door saloon, added in 1989 after Ford judged the hatchback-only launch a mistake for the conservative executive buyer. A silver Ford Granada Mk3 2.0 GLi four-door saloon, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1989-ford-scorpio-2-0i-ghia-automatic-53266600102-139131121-1600.jpg A 2.0i Ghia, the four-cylinder Ghia that did much of the fleet mileage. A silver Ford Scorpio 2.0i Ghia five-door hatchback, front three-quarter view beside a road https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1988-ford-granada-scorpio-2-9-13918574097-38605530-1600.jpg A 2.9 V6 Granada among its own at an owners' meet, the effortless motorway cruiser the car was built to be. A champagne Ford Granada Mk3 2.9 among other Granadas on grass at a classic car gathering, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1994-ford-granada-scorpio-24v-19457501375-41634377-1600.jpg A 1994 Scorpio 24v, among the last to wear the Granada name in Britain before the Scorpio badge took over for good. A dark green Ford Granada Scorpio 24v, front three-quarter view at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/fordson/major/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/fordson-major-diesel-1952-50379591107-1600.jpg A 1952 Fordson Major diesel, the New Major that did the heavy ploughing on the larger British farm. Big, simple, and immensely strong, it is the heavyweight of the British classic tractors. A blue 1952 Fordson Major Diesel tractor, front three-quarter view with an upright exhaust, parked by a workshop https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/fordson-major-e27n-1945-1951-51953469-1600.jpg The earlier E27N Major, restored here on its steel spade-lug rear wheels. This is the post-war Major that preceded the all-new diesel New Major of 1952. A restored blue Fordson Major E27N tractor with spade-lugged steel rear wheels and red spoked front wheels, on display indoors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/fordson-major-48972208413-1599.jpg The other end of the scale: a Fordson Major left in a barn. Many survive as projects like this, and because the Major is so simple and strong, even a sorry-looking one can be worth saving. A rusty, derelict Fordson Major tractor standing in a tumbledown stone barn, overgrown and missing parts https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/aston-martin-db6-aston-martin-db6-parked-at-donington-park-28426963-877.jpg An Aston Martin DB6. This glossary collects the terms, schemes and acronyms that come up when you own a car like it. The rear three-quarter of a silver Aston Martin DB6, its "DB6" bootlid badge visible, parked on gravel by a circuit fence https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-mini-barn-front-cream-5543151-1600.jpg A classic Mini in a barn. Storage standards, from informal cover like this through to CaSSOA-graded facilities, are one of the term clusters this glossary untangles. A cream classic Mini parked head-on inside an old wooden barn https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/40-year-rule/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-classic-red-mg-mgb-car-parked-on-an-urban-street-under-21939009-870.jpg An MG MGB. A chrome-bumper MGB built in the mid-1970s now sits comfortably the far side of the rolling forty-year line. A red chrome-bumper MG MGB roadster parked on a brick-paved street lined with tall townhouses https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/age-related-plate/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-series-classic-land-rover-series-front-detail-with-grille-and-12606540-861.jpg A Land Rover Series wearing 'GXE 378K'. The K suffix dates it to 1971/72, the kind of period-correct mark an age-related plate reproduces when the original is lost. The front of a teal Land Rover Series with a bonnet-mounted spare wheel, showing the black-on-silver number plate 'GXE 378K' https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/agreed-value-insurance/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-silver-rolls-royce-parked-on-a-charming-street-in-london-capturing-10392337-1600.jpg A Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. The more a classic is worth, the more an agreed value matters, so a write-off pays the figure you settled on rather than a disputed market price. A silver Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud parked on a London street of pale stucco houses in low evening sun https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/british-leyland/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/front-view-of-a-classic-orange-triumph-spitfire-cabriolet-in-an-exhibition-19089103-1600.jpg A Triumph Spitfire. Triumph was one of the dozen-odd marques folded into British Leyland at the 1968 merger. An orange Triumph Spitfire roadster, front three-quarter view, on display under exhibition lighting https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1974-british-leyland-austin-marina-jaguar-tr6-mgb-land-rover-advertising-road-tr-13887425052-1057.jpg A 1974 British Leyland advert selling the group as a single family: the Austin Marina alongside the Jaguar E-Type, Triumph TR6, MGB and Land Rover. On paper one company, in practice a loose federation of marques that often competed with each other. A 1974 British Leyland magazine advert headed The Great British Car Sweepstakes, showing the Austin Marina alongside the Jaguar E-Type, Triumph TR6, MGB and Land Rover https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-allegro-3262386171-1600.jpg An Austin Allegro. Launched in 1973 into a market that no longer wanted it, the Allegro became shorthand for much of what went wrong at British Leyland in the troubled years. A gold Austin Allegro four-door saloon, rear three-quarter view, parked on grass at a classic-car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-mini-cooper-parked-next-to-a-gothic-style-stone-building-in-9825833-975.jpg The Mini. Built at Longbridge from 1959, it was the volume car at the heart of BMC and then British Leyland for over forty years. A dark green classic Mini with a white roof, in side profile on a street beside a Gothic stone church https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-silver-mgb-gt-classic-sports-car-parked-outdoors-in-the-picturesque-29870152-1600.jpg An MGB GT. MG was the sports-car badge inside the group, and the MGB ran right through the BL years until the Abingdon factory closed in 1980. A silver MGB GT fastback coupe, front three-quarter view, parked on a paved drive with trees behind https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1968-jaguar-mk2-21576284928-1600.jpg A Jaguar Mk2. Jaguar came into the group through British Motor Holdings in 1966, was floated off again in 1984, and was the one big BL spin-off that thrived on its own. A dark green Jaguar Mk2 saloon with chrome wire wheels, front three-quarter view, on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1975-morris-marina-52157688266-1600.jpg A Morris Marina. The Marina was BL's volume Morris of the 1970s, built down to a price to take on the Ford Cortina. An olive-green Morris Marina four-door saloon, front three-quarter view, on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/leyland-princess-2200hls-1978-45402591134-1600.jpg A Leyland Princess. The wedge-shaped 18-22 series of 1975 was bold to look at, but it arrived just as the company was sliding into nationalisation. An orange Leyland Princess wedge saloon, rear three-quarter view, on a stand at an indoor classic-car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/triumph-stag-2308311413-1600.jpg A Triumph Stag. The in-house grand tourer Triumph built under BL, remembered as much for its troublesome V8 as for its looks. A white Triumph Stag convertible with its T-bar roll hoop, front three-quarter view, parked by a fence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1986-rover-sd1-8723186587-1600.jpg A Rover SD1. The fastback executive Rover of 1976 was one of the new models the Ryder Report funded, and it won European Car of the Year as BL tried to recover. A black Rover SD1 fastback saloon, front three-quarter view, on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1983-austin-metro-10384998726-1456.jpg An Austin Metro. The 1980 Metro was the supermini BL pinned its recovery on, and for a while it genuinely sold in the numbers the company needed. A gold Austin Metro three-door hatchback, front three-quarter view, on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-range-rover-classic-land-rover-range-rover-classic-classic-british-33510561-867.jpg A Range Rover Classic. Land Rover, built at Solihull, is the one corner of the old British Leyland still making cars on the same site today, under Tata ownership. A gunmetal Range Rover Classic four-door parked on a street under blossom trees https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/cassoa/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/front-view-of-a-vintage-austin-healey-car-displayed-in-a-classic-29887257-1600.jpg A classic stored under cover in a secure hall. CaSSOA accreditation grades exactly this kind of facility, and insurers price against the rating. A blue Austin-Healey 3000 parked head-on, alone, in a large concrete storage hall with a timber roof https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-mini-barn-front-cream-5543151-1600.jpg A Mini under informal cover in a barn. Better than the open driveway, but a long way from the graded, monitored security a CaSSOA rating certifies. A cream classic Mini parked head-on inside an old wooden barn https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/concours-condition/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/aston-martin-db5-blue-aston-martin-db5-parked-near-the-sea-29648179-1600.jpg The flank of an Aston Martin DB5. Concours condition means paint, brightwork and detail finished to the standard that would credibly compete at a concours d'elegance. The flawless turquoise flank and chrome wire wheel of an Aston Martin DB5, parked beside calm water at dusk https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/goodwood-breakfast-club-jaguar-xj220-1526059639-1600.jpg High-value classics draw a crowd at Goodwood. The formal concours d'elegance events are where the top-grade cars are actually judged against each other. A silver Jaguar XJ220 supercar with onlookers leaning in to look, at a Goodwood Breakfast Club meet https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/export-or-die/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vintage-jaguar-xk120-sports-car-in-los-angeles-showcasing-white-exterior-and-21801871-975.jpg A Jaguar XK120 in Los Angeles. The American market that Export or Die opened up is exactly where cars like this were sent. The cockpit and rear wing of a white Jaguar XK120 roadster with red interior, parked on a tree-lined Los Angeles street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/mg-tc-green-front-quarter-9743327-1600.jpg An MG TC. Around 10,000 went to the United States, building the American sports-car market from essentially nothing. A green MG TC roadster with freestanding headlamps and wire wheels, front three-quarter view on a brick drive https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/front-view-of-a-classic-green-mg-tf-1953-on-display-in-13465517-867.jpg An MG TF. The last of the traditional T-types before the MGA, and another car aimed squarely at American buyers. A green MG TF on display in a vintage garage hung with enamel petrol and oil signs https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-healey-roadster-cafe-5254491-1600.jpg An Austin-Healey. Donald Healey designed the big Healey with the American market explicitly in mind. A red Austin-Healey roadster with wire wheels and the top folded down, parked at the kerb outside a busy cafe https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/triumph-tr3-2308412213-1600.jpg A Triumph TR3. The TR2 and TR3 gave Triumph its post-war sports-car identity, again with American buyers first in mind. A pale blue Triumph TR3 with a hardtop, front three-quarter view, by a fence at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-series-1-1952-14061238503-1600.jpg A Land Rover Series I. Conceived as an interim export product during steel rationing, it ended up outlasting the policy by sixty-eight years. A dark green Land Rover Series I soft-top, three-quarter front view, on show grass https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bentley-mark-vi-park-ward-1950-8203130887-1600.jpg A Bentley Mark VI. The post-war luxury export, sold particularly into North America and the Commonwealth. A gold Bentley Mark VI with fastback coachwork, rear three-quarter view, on display indoors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/historic-vehicle-status/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/triumph-tr4-white-triumph-tr4-roadster-shown-in-clean-side-profile-11779453-1600.jpg A Triumph TR4. A 1960s car like this sits well inside the historic tax class, which you apply for through the V5C once the car is eligible. A white Triumph TR4 roadster with a hardtop and chrome wire wheels, in clean side profile in front of a brick building https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/q-plate/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/eagle-jeep-q-plate-51682183698-1600.jpg Registered by the DVLA only as an 'Eagle' of uncertain age, this component-built vehicle wears a Q-plate (Q483 GEL). Vehicles like this are the classic Q-plate case: with no single verifiable date of manufacture, the DVLA defaults to the Q prefix. A weathered military-style Jeep replica in faded olive green with surface rust, front three-quarter view, wearing the UK Q-prefix registration plate Q483 GEL https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/glossary/v5c/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-classic-vintage-car-drives-along-a-scenic-road-with-a-historic-175690-1600.jpg A pre-war Bentley still on the road. Whatever the car, the V5C is the document that records its keeper and ties the registration to the vehicle. A green pre-war Bentley open tourer with a goggled driver, driving past a village church, registration "YP 9308" https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/hillman/avenger/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/onj160m-hillman-avenger-53971685521-1600.jpg A mid-1970s Hillman Avenger. The quad-headlight GL/GLS spec, the chrome side trim, and the proportions that made the Avenger the best-handling small saloon of its class at launch. A brown metallic Hillman Avenger four-door saloon (M registration, 1973-74), front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/uaa755m-1974-hillman-avenger-1600-super-estate-51350087043-1600.jpg A 1974 Hillman Avenger 1600 Super Estate. The five-door variant that joined the range in 1972 and outlived the saloon under both Chrysler and Talbot badges. A metallic green Hillman Avenger 1600 Super Estate (1974), front three-quarter view on grass at a country classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-tiger-1971-38265226231-1600.jpg The Mk1 Avenger Tiger of 1972 in Sundance Yellow. The twin-Weber 1.5 made 107 brake horsepower against the standard car's 68, and Chrysler UK's competition team campaigned them through the 1973-74 British Rally Championship. A Sundance Yellow Hillman Avenger Tiger (1971) with matt-black bonnet stripe and auxiliary driving lamps, front three-quarter view outdoors https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/chrysler-avenger-1976-32540481653-1488.jpg The 1976 press ad announcing the Chrysler Avenger. The Hillman badge was discontinued the same year; the car underneath barely changed. A period 1976 magazine advertisement reading "Announcing The New Chrysler Avenger. In 20 major ways, the Avenger you've been waiting for", showing a Chrysler Avenger saloon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-gt-12298684676-1430.jpg The Hillman Avenger GT in period UK brochure imagery. The GT sat above the GL with twin Stromberg carburettors on the 1500, an 88 brake horsepower output, sports steering wheel and vinyl-coachline trim, the closest the standard Avenger range came to a performance saloon before the Tiger arrived. A scanned UK brochure page for the Hillman Avenger GT, with copy headed 'Avenger GT' and a photograph of an orange-red two-door GT saloon parked in a period English town street outside the Jacques-Michelle and Zetland shop fronts, rear three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-gls-1972-53765645467-929.jpg The 1972 Hillman Avenger 1500 GLS in showroom-stock condition. The GLS was the top of the original Hillman-era saloon range, with the quad-headlight grille, the vinyl roof, and the higher-trim interior that buyers moving up from the Hunter were paying for. A maroon-purple 1972 Hillman Avenger 1500 GLS four-door saloon (WER742L) with black vinyl roof, quad-headlight grille and chrome side trim, front three-quarter view on a sunny Dorset car-meet pavement https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-tiger-1973-30363370183-1600.jpg The Mk2 Avenger Tiger of 1973 in its signature red. Roughly 200 Mk2 Tigers were built before the programme ended, half the Mk1 production figure, and the Mk2 shifted the cosmetic detail to side decals and a different bonnet-stripe layout while retaining the twin-Weber 1.5 engine. An orange-red 1973 Hillman Avenger Tiger Mk2 (LHO200L) with matt-black bonnet stripe wrapping over the boot lid and 'AVENGER TIGER' graphic on the rear quarter, rear three-quarter view inside a dimly lit motor museum https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-tiger-1973-31134824326-1600.jpg The Hillman Tiger badge, the way to confirm a genuine factory Tiger. The Avenger and Sunbeam Owners' Club holds the body-number ranges that match the Mk1 and Mk2 Tiger production runs; replicas built from standard 1500 saloons can be visually convincing but the badge, engine numbers and body numbers do not lie. A close-up macro detail of the Hillman Tiger boot badge on an orange-red 1973 Mk2 Avenger Tiger, showing the chrome 'HILLMAN' and 'TIGER' lettering flanking the cursive script badge, with red rear-lamp cluster and chrome bumper-end visible https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-tiger-1974-53671974107-1600.jpg Mk1 and Mk2 Avenger Tigers side by side at County Classics in Taunton. The article describes the two as a pair built to similar specification but for different model years; seeing them together is one of the clearer ways to read the cosmetic differences in stripe layout and trim that separate the 1972 yellow car from the 1973 red one. A Sundance Yellow Mk1 Hillman Avenger Tiger parked next to an orange-red Mk2 Avenger Tiger inside the County Classics Motor Museum at Taunton, both saloons in front three-quarter view with their matt-black bonnet stripes visible https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-1971-72-32969458462-1600.jpg The 1971-72 Hillman Avenger range in period sales literature. The three-tier hierarchy of De Luxe, Super and Grand Luxe ran through to the Chrysler relaunch in 1976; the brochure photography deliberately leaned on rural English settings to position the Avenger as the modern family alternative to the ageing Hillman Minx it replaced. A scanned 1971-72 Hillman Avenger brochure page headed 'AVENGER' in yellow type, showing three saloons stacked vertically: a blue Grand Luxe (WRW253K), a green Super in a field with a windmill behind, and a pale-blue De Luxe by a lakeside https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-40107114-1024.jpg The 1300 DL boot badge on a Hillman-era Avenger De Luxe. The 1248cc OHV four was the entry engine across the Hillman years, paired with the De Luxe trim as the basic-spec saloon; the DL combination is the variant most commonly remembered as an everyday 1970s family runabout rather than a collector's car. A close-up of the chrome '1300 DL Avenger' boot badge on a British racing green Hillman Avenger 1300 De Luxe, with rear lamp cluster, fuel-filler cap and chrome bumper edge in frame at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/hillman-avenger-13781401095-1600.jpg A Hillman Avenger in the kind of setting most of the 600 known survivors actually live: a suburban driveway rather than a show field. The Avenger sold in volume to private buyers, not company fleets, so the cars that made it through the scrapyard era did so because individual owners kept paying tax on them year after year. A silver-grey Hillman Avenger four-door saloon parked on a brick-edged driveway outside a tile-roofed pebble-dashed bungalow on a residential street near Eastbourne, side three-quarter view from the road https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/michelin-ad-1976-part-1-33202450062-1600.jpg A 1976 Michelin print ad placing the Chrysler Avenger among the cars Michelin counted as the credible British and European mainstream of the day. The Avenger had moved from the Hillman badge to Chrysler in the same year, and the OEM-tyre advertising treated it as a sibling of the Cortina and the Chevette rather than as a discounted Marina rival. A scanned 1976 Michelin tyre magazine advertisement headed 'Choose your tyres as stringently as they do', with a grid of eight period cars including a red Chrysler Avenger saloon mid-corner, alongside a Ford Fiesta, Rover 3500, Ford Cortina, Chrysler Alpine, Vauxhall Chevette, Peugeot 504 and BLMC TR7 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1973-sunbeam-1500-tc-47798994601-1600.jpg A Dutch-market Sunbeam 1500 TC at the Tulpenrallye prologue. In several European markets the Avenger was sold under the Sunbeam name from the start, and the 1500 TC trim was the European equivalent of the UK GT. This car runs in historic rally trim, the closest the standard Avenger platform got to a continental motorsport career outside the Tiger programme. A red 1973 Sunbeam 1500 TC four-door saloon (Dutch plate 19-51-XT) with a matt-black bonnet, white rallye-number roundel on the driver's door, and quad-headlight grille, front three-quarter view on a Dutch historic-rally parking area https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-classic-red-jaguar-e-type-speeding-through-city-streets-19315426-867.jpg The E-Type, the car most people picture when they hear the word Jaguar: beauty and speed at a price that undercut the exotics. A red Jaguar E-Type roadster being driven along a sunny tree-lined road, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-silver-roadster-12147116-867.jpg The XK120 of 1948, the car that launched the XK engine and made Jaguar's name for fast, beautiful, affordable machines. A silver Jaguar XK120 roadster parked by a stone wall, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1964-jaguar-mk2-3-8-litre-29764259245-1600.jpg The Mk2 3.8, a compact saloon that could embarrass sports cars and came to define the 1960s Jaguar. A dark red Jaguar Mk2 3.8 saloon at a classic car show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-side-grey-36907732-1600.jpg The E-Type fixed-head coupe. From the XK120 to the E-Type, Jaguar's sports cars set the look of their decades. A gunmetal grey Jaguar E-Type fixed-head coupe in front of a country house, side view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xjs-convertible-london-street-36792133-731.jpg The XJS, the long-running grand tourer that followed the E-Type and is now a sought-after classic in its own right. A black Jaguar XJS convertible driving past a red-brick mansion block on a London street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-d-type-racing-33074665-1600.jpg A Jaguar D-Type. The C-Type and D-Type won Le Mans five times in the 1950s and gave the road cars their credibility. A black Jaguar D-Type racing car, number 170, at speed on a circuit https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xj6-series-1-1972-15288612581-1600.jpg The XJ6, Sir William Lyons' last saloon. A well-kept six-cylinder car is among the most usable ways into classic Jaguar ownership. A dark green Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 saloon with chrome bumpers, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-fixed-head-coupe-profile-24394892-1600.jpg An XK120 fixed-head coupe, the closed version of Jaguar's first post-war sports car. A red Jaguar XK120 fixed-head coupe in profile with red wire wheels https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-jaguar-e-type-interior-detail-10274208-1600.jpg Wood, leather and a bank of toggle switches: the cabin of an E-Type, and the kind of detail that defines the marque. The interior of a Jaguar E-Type with a wood-rimmed steering wheel and round gauges https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/e-type/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-white-jaguar-e-type-roadster-parked-beside-historic-buildings-12582269-1600.jpg A Series 1 roadster, the E-Type in its purest form. Few cars have ever made a stronger first impression. A white Jaguar E-Type Series 1 roadster with wire wheels parked beside a historic stone building, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-side-grey-36907732-1600.jpg The fixed-head coupe shows Malcolm Sayer's shape at its cleanest, a body drawn by aerodynamics rather than by eye. A gunmetal grey Jaguar E-Type fixed-head coupe parked in front of a grand country house, side view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-roadster-red-front-16039026-867.jpg The exposed headlamp of a later car. The Series 1's glass headlamp covers gave way to open lamps from the Series 2 on. The open headlamp and front wing of a red Jaguar E-Type roadster https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-v12-boot-badge-23928970-885.jpg The V12 badge of a Series 3. The 5.3-litre engine brought smoothness and torque rather than extra top speed. Close-up of a Jaguar E-Type bootlid badge reading Jaguar V12 https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-vintage-race-car-speeding-on-track-during-sunset-showcasing-33148019-1600.jpg A Lightweight E-Type at speed. The aluminium-bodied competition cars are now valued in the millions. A dark blue Jaguar E-Type lightweight racing car, number 100 on gold wheels, cornering on a circuit at dusk https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-jaguar-e-type-interior-detail-10274208-1600.jpg The E-Type cabin, with its wood-rimmed wheel and bank of toggle switches. Originality counts for a lot at these values. The interior of a Jaguar E-Type with a wood-rimmed steering wheel and round gauges https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-green-jaguar-e-type-parked-outside-an-elegant-building-15549084-1600.jpg A green E-Type at dusk. The shape has lost none of its drama in more than sixty years. A green Jaguar E-Type parked outside an illuminated building at dusk, side view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-race-grid-33147991-1600.jpg E-Types on the grid at a historic meeting. The model's competition roots run straight back to the C-Type and D-Type. Jaguar E-Type race cars lined up on a circuit, in black and white https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-roadster-street-meet-27868720-1600.jpg An E-Type roadster drawing a crowd at a town car meet, where it usually does. A Jaguar E-Type roadster parked in front of a honey-coloured stone building at a classic car gathering https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/e-type/series-1/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-vintage-jaguar-e-type-convertible-parked-in-a-sunny-26063204-1600.jpg A Series 1 roadster, covered headlamps and slim chrome bumpers intact. For many this is the most beautiful production car ever built. A silver Jaguar E-Type Series 1 roadster with covered headlamps and wire wheels parked in a sunny yard, side view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-jaguar-e-type-28701093-867.jpg The glass-covered headlamp, faired into the wing, is the signature detail of the Series 1. Close-up of the glass-covered headlamp on a dark green Jaguar E-Type Series 1 https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-coupe-white-rear-17307303-871.jpg The 4.2 badge. The larger engine of 1964 added torque and, just as welcome, a much better all-synchromesh gearbox. Rear of a white Jaguar E-Type 2+2 coupe showing the E-Type 4.2 bootlid badge https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-side-view-of-a-classic-jaguar-e-type-s1-30650272-1600.jpg A Series 1 coupe in side profile. On the earliest cars, original details and matching numbers add real value. A cream Jaguar E-Type Series 1 fixed-head coupe with covered headlamps parked on a lawn, side view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-roadster-white-indoor-192499-1600.jpg A Series 1.5 car: the open, exposed headlamps of the later cars on the slim-bumpered Series 1 body. A white Jaguar E-Type roadster with open headlamps and slim chrome bumpers displayed indoors https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-s1-coupe-indoor-5407570-1600.jpg A fixed-head coupe, the closed Series 1. The coupe trades a little glamour for a usable boot and more security. A grey Jaguar E-Type Series 1 fixed-head coupe with covered headlamps displayed indoors https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/e-type/series-2/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-series-2-roadster-1969-22013577992-1600.jpg A Series 2 roadster, hood down by the water. The open headlamps and larger grille set it apart from the Series 1. A dark green Jaguar E-Type Series 2 roadster with open headlamps parked beside water https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-series-2-roadster-1970-21999670646-1600.jpg The Series 2 face: exposed headlamps and a bigger grille mouth feeding a larger radiator to cure the Series 1's hot running. A red Jaguar E-Type Series 2 roadster, front three-quarter view, with open headlamps and a larger grille https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-series-2-roadster-1970-46018057615-1600.jpg For an owner who wants to drive rather than collect, the Series 2 is often the smartest six-cylinder E-Type to buy. A red Jaguar E-Type Series 2 roadster parked at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/e-type/series-3/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-series-3-v12-roadster-1973-44562058384-1600.jpg A Series 3 V12 roadster. The wide grille, flared arches and broad tyres mark out the most muscular E-Type. A Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 roadster, front three-quarter view, with the large cross-slatted grille https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-series-3-v12-coupe-1972-42358865515-1600.jpg The Series 3 came only as a roadster or this 2+2 coupe, both built on the longer wheelbase. A silver Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 2+2 coupe parked on grass https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-series-3-v12-1972-53855931044-1600.jpg Smooth rather than savage. The V12 was no faster than the original six in a straight line, but far more relaxed with it. A silver Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 roadster with the hood down, parked on grass https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-coupe-red-rear-sunset-16067204-1600.jpg A V12 2+2 at dusk. The 2+2 coupe is the most affordable way into E-Type ownership of any series. Rear of a red Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 2+2 coupe at sunset, showing the V12 badge https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-series-3-silver-indoors-29788746-1600.jpg The big slatted grille and forward-set lamps of the Series 3. On any V12, the health of the cooling system is everything. A silver Jaguar E-Type Series 3 V12 roadster with the hood up, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/mk2/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1964-jaguar-mk2-3-8-litre-29764259245-1600.jpg A Mk2 3.8, the fast one. A genuine 125 mph saloon that could see off most sports cars of its day. A dark red Jaguar Mk2 3.8 saloon at a classic car show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-mk-2-3-4-1962-36147744501-1600.jpg The Mk2's wider rear track exposed the rear wheels, where the earlier car hid them under spats, and cured the handling in the process. A green Jaguar Mk2 saloon with wire wheels, rear three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-mk-2-3-8-1965-34867706424-1600.jpg The Mk2 face, with its fog lamps and slim grille. Disc brakes were standard from launch, ahead of most rivals. Close-up of the chrome grille, headlamps and fog lamps of a cream Jaguar Mk2 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-mk-2-3-4-red-1961-2-4-gold-1963-35165531534-1600.jpg Wood, leather and the leaping cat made the Mk2 the establishment's choice as much as the enthusiast's. Two Jaguar Mk2 saloons, one champagne gold and one red, parked at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-mk-2-3-4-1963-28527820544-1600.jpg On the track, tuned Mk2s ruled saloon racing at the turn of the 1960s, the Coombs cars chief among them. A green Jaguar Mk2 3.4 saloon, front three-quarter view, at a classic car gathering https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-340-1968-14246434386-1600.jpg The run-out 340 of 1967, with its slimmer bumpers. The 3.8 was dropped and the line ended in 1969. A dark blue Jaguar 340 saloon with slim bumpers and wire wheels, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-mk2-2-4l-1966-15986679655-1600.jpg A 2.4, the entry-level Mk2 and the cheapest way in. Buy on the soundness of the body, not the size of the engine. A blue Jaguar Mk2 2.4 saloon at a show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1968-daimler-250-v8-saloon-16348759902-1600.jpg The Daimler V8 250, the same shell with Daimler's smooth 2.5-litre V8 and a fluted grille, and often overlooked. A light blue Daimler 250 V8 saloon with the fluted Daimler grille, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1968-jaguar-mk2-21576284928-1600.jpg An everyday Mk2 at a summer show, the shape that defined the 1960s Jaguar saloon. A dark green Jaguar Mk2 saloon at a classic car show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/xj6/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xj6-series-1-1972-15288612581-1600.jpg An XJ6 Series 1, the original 1968 shape. Sir William Lyons' last saloon swept away Jaguar's entire range in one move. A dark green Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 saloon with chrome bumpers, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1973-jaguar-xj6-advertisement-newsweek-april-2-1973-16130610446-1596.jpg A period advertisement. The press judged the XJ6 to have no equal at any price, and Jaguar was happy to agree. A 1973 Jaguar XJ6 magazine advertisement showing a silver Series 1 saloon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1975-jaguar-xj6-series-ii-saloon-14140746837-1600.jpg The Series 2 of 1973 raised the front bumper and shrank the grille to meet American rules. It was built through the leanest British Leyland years. A silver Jaguar XJ6 Series 2 saloon at a show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xj6-3-4l-series-2-1977-18133805069-1600.jpg A 3.4-litre Series 2. The XK six came in 2.8, 3.4 and 4.2 forms, with the smooth V12 reserved for the XJ12. A white Jaguar XJ6 3.4 Series 2 saloon on grass, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1977-jaguar-xj6-series-ii-coupe-16006266365-1600.jpg The rare two-door XJ-C coupe of 1975 to 1977, with its pillarless side glass. It is now the most collectable XJ of all. A silver two-door Jaguar XJ6 Series 2 coupe, the pillarless XJ-C, parked on grass https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xj6-series-iii-sovereign-4-2-1985-23935471188-1600.jpg The Pininfarina-restyled Series 3, the best-built and most usable XJ6, and the sensible choice for a classic to drive. A dark Jaguar XJ6 Series 3 Sovereign saloon on a cobbled street, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1970-jaguar-xj6-series-i-saloon-16673830442-1600.jpg An early Series 1 in light blue. The chrome-bumper cars command the strongest prices today. A light blue Jaguar XJ6 Series 1 saloon at a show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/xjs/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xjs-convertible-london-street-36792133-731.jpg An XJS convertible on a London street. The open cars, especially the V12, are the ones the market wants today. A black Jaguar XJS convertible driving past a red-brick mansion block on a London street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xjs-6095672847-1600.jpg The XJS coupe. Not a sports car but a long-legged grand tourer, built to cover big distances in comfort. A dark Jaguar XJS fixed-head coupe parked on a wet road, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xjs-4-0l-1995-14267835628-1600.jpg A facelifted car. The 1991 update brought a flush windscreen, a smoother tail and rear side windows that looked larger. A pale green Jaguar XJS 4.0 coupe from 1995, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1994-jaguar-xjs-5-3-v12-12856472523-1600.jpg A 5.3 V12. Smooth and characterful, but thirsty and complex, where the AJ6 six is the cheaper car to run. A dark Jaguar XJS 5.3 V12 coupe, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xjs-v12-convertible-14694795118-1600.jpg The full convertible of 1988, with a proper folding roof, is the most sought-after XJS body style. A maroon Jaguar XJS V12 convertible with lattice alloy wheels, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xjs-trans-am-186633757-1600.jpg A racing XJ-S in American Trans-Am colours. The big coupe raced hard on both sides of the Atlantic. A white and green Jaguar XJS racing car, number 44, on a hill climb https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xjs-front-detail-twin-headlamps-18780882-1600.jpg The XJS face. On any car, rust in the sills, floors and screen scuttle matters far more than a glossy paint job. Front detail of a silver Jaguar XJS showing the twin round headlamps and a lattice alloy wheel https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/jaguar/xk120/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-silver-roadster-12147116-867.jpg An XK120 roadster. The 120 in the name promised 120 mph, and at launch nothing else you could buy went faster. A silver Jaguar XK120 roadster parked by a stone wall, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-front-three-quarter-21801873-975.jpg The XK120's flowing shape stopped the 1948 London show and turned a planned short run into a six-year production car. A white Jaguar XK120 roadster in a car park, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-rally-cobbled-street-31145400-918.jpg An XK120 on a road rally. In period these cars set speed records that more than backed up the name. A dark Jaguar XK120 roadster driving through a cobbled town on a historic road rally https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-front-grille-headlamps-21801872-975.jpg The slim chrome grille and faired headlamps. The first cars wore aluminium panels over an ash frame before steel took over in 1950. Close-up of a white Jaguar XK120 front showing the slim chrome grille and faired headlamps https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-fixed-head-coupe-profile-24394892-1600.jpg The fixed-head coupe of 1951, with its flowing fastback roof, joined the original open roadster. A red Jaguar XK120 fixed-head coupe in profile with red-painted wire wheels https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-rear-three-quarter-21801874-975.jpg The sweeping rear wings and wire wheels. XK120s won rallies, raced at Le Mans and ran for seven days flat at Montlhery. A white Jaguar XK120 roadster seen from the rear three-quarter, with red cockpit and wire wheels https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-cockpit-rear-wing-21801871-975.jpg Inside an XK120, with its red interior and aero screen. Originality and matching numbers count for a lot on these early cars. The cockpit and rear wing of a white Jaguar XK120 roadster with a red interior https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-xk120-green-wire-wheel-rear-wing-14371745-14371745-976.jpg The wire wheel and rear wing of a coupe. The doors, bonnet and boot lid stayed aluminium even on the steel cars. The wire wheel and rear wing of a green Jaguar XK120 fixed-head coupe https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/massey-ferguson/135/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/massey-ferguson-135-1972-73-52088113213-967.jpg A Massey Ferguson 135 in its familiar open-station form, the red bonnet and grey casting that became the face of the British farm. It is the model most people picture when they picture a tractor. A red Massey Ferguson 135 tractor, front three-quarter view, the 135 badge and grey skid unit clearly visible, parked on grass https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/massey-ferguson-135-15686840-1600.jpg Many working 135s gained an aftermarket cab, like this one. The bare open-station tractor is the more sought-after form today, but a tidy cabbed example is a cheaper way in. A red Massey Ferguson 135 fitted with a cab, three-quarter front view, standing in a grassy field https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/massey-ferguson-135-with-a-plough-in-bolton-by-bowland-england-16240769-1600.jpg A 135 still doing the job it was built for, ploughing at a match. Decades after the last one was made, these remain working tractors as much as show pieces. A red Massey Ferguson 135 ploughing a field at a ploughing match, seen from behind with a mounted plough, other tractors working in the distance https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/morris/marina/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1975-morris-marina-52157688266-1600.jpg A 1975 Morris Marina saloon in period olive green. The conservative three-box shape from Roy Haynes's team and the proportions that BL's product planners reckoned the UK family-saloon market wanted. An olive green 1975 Morris Marina four-door saloon at an outdoor classic car show, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/nss103p-morris-marina-estate-1-8-sdl-52255797349-1600.jpg A 1975-76 Marina 1.8 SDL Estate. The estate was generally regarded as the best Marina to drive, partly because the additional rear weight settled the back end. A bright blue Morris Marina 1.8 SDL Estate (1975-76, NSS103P plate), front three-quarter view on grass at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/lma477y-morris-ital-53041457835-1600.jpg A 1982-83 Morris Ital saloon. The Italdesign facelift gave the late-Marina platform a flatter front, rectangular headlights, and another four years of production at Cowley before the Morris badge was retired. A cream Morris Ital four-door saloon (Y plate, 1982-83), front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/ftd869j-1971-morris-marina-1-8tc-coupe-fastback-51349863196-1600.jpg A 1971 Marina 1.8 TC Coupé with vinyl roof. The fastback two-door was dropped during the Mk2 facelift and is now the rarest standard Marina body style. A red Morris Marina 1.8 TC Coupé with black vinyl roof (J plate, 1971), rear three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-marina-blue-industrial-hall-9090163-975.jpg A Marina saloon in real-world unrestored condition. The pattern most surviving examples follow: structurally sound shell, dated but easy mechanicals, and sills and front-suspension mounts that will need attention before the car returns to the road. A blue Morris Marina four-door saloon parked in a bare concrete industrial workshop next to a brick column, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/austin-marina-1-3-gt-1972-19801880285-1600.jpg A 1972 Marina 1.3 GT saloon. The GT badge marked out the trim level rather than a real performance step, with vinyl roof, sports steering wheel and a matt-black grille on the standard 1.3-litre A-series engine. A black 1972 Austin Marina 1.3 GT four-door saloon with red coachline and GT badging on the grille, CKN878K plate, front three-quarter view at a UK classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1976-morris-marina-ii-gt-34123205236-1600.jpg The Mk2 (Marina II) facelift covered both saloon and coupé from 1975 onwards. This Dutch-market brochure shows the late 1.8 GT in both bodystyles, the closest the late-Marina range came to a performance variant. A 1976 Morris Marina II 1.8 GT Coupé in burgundy with a cream Marina II 1.8 GT saloon behind, period Dutch brochure photograph against a plain studio backdrop https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-marina-van-48218933847-1600.jpg The Marina was also sold as a panel van. The saloon's nose grafted onto a closed-up rear body, competing with the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra vans in the British light-commercial market until the early 1980s. An off-white Morris Marina commercial panel van at an indoor classic car show, rear doors open showing the bare cargo bay and a roof-mounted spare wheel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-marina-1-8-super-1978-police-44260515050-1600.jpg A 1978 Marina 1.8 Super in UK police trim. The saloon found service with several constabularies as a low-cost replacement for ageing Vauxhall Victors and Ford Cortinas in non-pursuit duties. A white 1978 Morris Marina 1.8 Super four-door saloon in UK police livery with red flank and roof markings, rear three-quarter view at an indoor museum exhibition, POLICE on the rear plate https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/pfd776w-morris-ital-hls-estate-54504981792-1600.jpg The Morris Ital was offered as an estate as well as a saloon. Italdesign restyled the front and trim only, so the Ital Estate's rear bodyshell is shared with the late-Mk2 Marina Estate. A cream 1981 Morris Ital 1.3 HLS Estate, PFD776W plate, photographed at a UK classic car show with the rear tailgate raised https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/volks-electric-railway-station-with-aa-morris-ital-van-brighton-1987-52665369545-1237.jpg An AA-service Morris Ital van in working livery, Brighton 1987. AA patrol fleets ran late-production Ital vans into the late 1980s, the last working-fleet outing for the Morris badge before the brand was retired. A yellow AA Service Morris Ital van parked outside Volks Electric Railway station on Brighton seafront in 1987, with orange-and-white house livery and an AA roof box https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1973-austin-marina-advertisement-newsweek-april-9-1973-16773497082-1600.jpg British Leyland's US-market 1973 Newsweek advert. The Marina was sold in North America as the Austin Marina, pitched at $2,575 as 'the tough economy car from British Leyland', borrowing engineering credibility from the rest of the BL range. A 1973 Austin Marina advertisement scanned from Newsweek April 9 1973, showing a white four-door saloon in front of a stone castle with sketched MGB, Jaguar E-Type and Land Rover behind to position the Austin Marina against the rest of the British Leyland US range https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/morris/minor-van/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/wue847h-1970-morris-minor-van-5637019099-1600.jpg The red Royal Mail Morris Minor van, the image the model is most remembered for. The Post Office was by far its largest single customer. A red Royal Mail Morris Minor van, front three-quarter view, parked at a museum village on a sunny day https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/lmg309k-morris-minor-van-gpo-telephones-yellow-livery-5224342026-1600.jpg A Post Office Telephones van in the later yellow livery, roof ladder fitted. The telephone side of the GPO ran its own large Minor-van fleet alongside the red mail vans. A yellow Post Office Telephones Morris Minor van in side profile with a ladder on the roof rack, on a country road https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-post-office-telephones-1968-53802442318-1600.jpg The earlier dark green Post Office Telephones livery, used before the change to yellow at the end of the 1960s, in a period workshop. A dark green 1968 Post Office Telephones Morris Minor van in a period garage hung with old number plates and oil-company signs https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-pick-up-1954-30791640130-1600.jpg A Morris Minor pick-up in period trade livery. The pick-up and chassis-cab versions did everything from corn-merchant rounds to mobile shops, sharing the van's running gear but with an open bed. A yellow Morris Minor pick-up in period corn-merchant livery at an indoor show, front three-quarter view with a wood-railed load bed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/wlf801g-ex-british-telecom-morris-minor-van-5407533703-1600.jpg An ex-Post Office Telephones van still in yellow, the livery the telephone fleet wore into the British Telecom era. The roof ladder is a working detail these vans almost always carried. A yellow ex-British Telecom Morris Minor van on a country road, front three-quarter view with a roof ladder fitted https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-van-mfe454j-is-pictured-in-co-op-livery-13974463136-1600.jpg A Minor van in Co-op livery. Beyond the Post Office, the van was the default delivery vehicle for the corner shop and the high-street co-operative across post-war Britain. A red and black Morris Minor van in Co-op livery with a cream roof, front three-quarter view in a yard https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-van-6073133256-1600.jpg A Minor van still earning its keep as a shop's rolling advertisement. Many survive in exactly this role, lettered up for a local business that values the nostalgia as much as the load space. A dark green Morris Minor van in H Morgan Carpets trade livery parked outside the shop on a high street, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-van-1963-51687501084-1600.jpg A plain black van of 1963. Stripped of livery, the shape is just the Minor saloon's nose grafted onto a boxy load body, the simple recipe that made it so easy to build and repair. A black 1963 Morris Minor van, front three-quarter view at a show, plain unlettered livery with chrome grille https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1969-morris-minor-van-9117883193-1600.jpg A restored 1969 van. By the late 1960s the Minor van was the long-serving survivor of its class, still selling while its 1950s rivals had long been replaced. A two-tone cream and blue 1969 Morris Minor van at an indoor show, front three-quarter view, restored condition https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1972-morris-minor-van-lcv-9117996323-1600.jpg A 1972 van, from the very end of production. Commercial versions ran on into early 1972, a couple of years after the saloon, closing out a near-twenty-year run. A dark green 1972 Morris Minor van on grass at a show, front three-quarter view, one of the last built https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-van-with-windows-1971-52322812592-1600.jpg A van fitted with side windows, the glazed conversion that turned a load-carrier into rudimentary passenger transport. It is the bridge between the plain van and the timber-framed Traveller estate. A blue 1971 Morris Minor van fitted with side windows, in a line of classic vans on a show field https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/morris-minor-van-1971-51535477724-1600.jpg A Minor van turned micro-camper, awning out and roof box fitted. The same small, simple, easily-fixed van that did the deliveries also made an endearing if tiny holiday vehicle. A pale blue 1971 Morris Minor van converted to a micro-camper, rear doors open with a roof box and side awning at a campsite https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/owning-a-classic-car/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1968-jaguar-mk2-21576284928-1600.jpg A Jaguar Mk2, one of the classic British saloons that turns up at every show. Keeping a car like this legal, usable, and protected is what this section is about. A dark green Jaguar Mk2 saloon, front three-quarter view, on grass at a classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/peel/p50/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/peel-p50-at-manx-transport-museum-peel-isle-of-man-7965563148-1600.jpg A red Peel P50 at the Manx Transport Museum in Peel, the Isle of Man town where the car was built. The single door, the one headlamp, and the whole four-foot length are visible at once. A red Peel P50 microcar on a display plinth at the Manx Transport Museum in Peel, Isle of Man, front three-quarter view showing the single door and three wheels https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/peel-p50-1964-peel-trident-1965-48773441888-1600.jpg The P50, left, alongside its sister model the Peel Trident, which added a clear bubble canopy and a second seat. Both were built by Peel Engineering in the early 1960s. A blue Peel P50 parked next to a red Peel Trident with its clear bubble canopy, both microcars on grass at a show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/peel-p50-1964-37750463295-1600.jpg Inside, the P50 is as minimal as its size suggests: one seat, a three-speed change with no reverse, and almost nothing else. The minimal interior of a Peel P50, showing a single grey steering wheel with a red gear knob, one seat, and the bare painted bodyshell https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/peel-p50-1964-30332712634-1600.jpg A blue P50 seen from above, the angle that makes the scale land: the whole car is barely longer than an adult is tall, with a single door and three small wheels. A blue Peel P50 microcar at a show, viewed from a high front three-quarter angle showing the single door, three wheels and tiny footprint https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/microcar-pairing-53349537103-1600.jpg A red P50 next to another period microcar. Even among bubble cars and microcars the Peel is the small one, the point past which the idea could not be shrunk any further. A red Peel P50 beside a larger pale blue microcar on a show stand, the P50 dwarfed by its companion https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1964-peel-p50-2-155692632-1600.jpg A red P50 at a show, the single door and lone headlamp clear from this angle. The chrome handle for turning the car round by hand sits out of sight on the back. A red Peel P50 three-wheeler on grass at a classic car show (742 UNN), front three-quarter view showing the single door and headlamp https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/peel-p50-at-beaulieu-1718683-1590.jpg A red P50 at Beaulieu. Tiny, upright and slow, it draws a bigger crowd at a museum or show than cars worth twenty times as much, which is most of the point of owning one. A red Peel P50 on display at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, front three-quarter view http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1965-peel-p50-petersen-automotive-museum-152741923-1600.jpg A maroon P50 in a US museum collection. The model's fame has carried it well beyond the Isle of Man, into motoring collections on both sides of the Atlantic. A maroon Peel P50 on a rotating display stand at the Petersen Automotive Museum, head-on front view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1964-peel-p50-blue-150998465-1600.jpg A blue P50 at ground level, where its height against a normal car is easiest to read. It stands barely taller than the wing mirrors of the vehicles it parks beside. A bright blue Peel P50 on gravel at an outdoor show, eye-level front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/vauxhall/chevette/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1979-vauxhall-chevette-hatchback-14102527018-1600.jpg A 1979 Chevette three-door hatchback in period orange. The shovel-nose front was Wayne Cherry's Luton signature, distinct from the flat-fronted Opel Kadett C that shared the platform. A bright orange 1979 Vauxhall Chevette three-door hatchback at an outdoor classic car show, front three-quarter view showing the shovel-nose grille https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-hs-1978-32106228847-1600.jpg A 1978 Chevette HS in the factory silver-with-red-stripes rally livery. The 2.3 slant-four with the Vauxhall-designed sixteen-valve head, the Getrag five-speed, and 135 brake horsepower in under a tonne. A silver Vauxhall Chevette HS (1978) with red side stripes, front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-l-saloon-1982-32896238457-1600.jpg A 1982 Chevette L Saloon. The four-door booted variant of the hatch, much rarer in survival than the volume-selling hatchback. A gold Vauxhall Chevette L Saloon (1982), rear three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-gls-saloon-1976-33528250126-1354.jpg Vauxhall's 1976 press shot of the Chevette GLS Saloon against the Welsh hills. The pitch was the British family hatchback come of age, before the Astra Mk1 ended the rear-drive Vauxhall mainstream tradition. A green Vauxhall Chevette GLS Saloon (1976) photographed against rolling Welsh hills, period brochure shot https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-hsr-2-6-1979-51175678116-1600.jpg A 1979 Chevette HSR in the original silver-with-red livery. The HSR carried wider arches, a fibreglass front and rear, and plastic side windows over the basic HS, the further-developed homologation step for the Group 4 regulations that were on their way out by 1980. A silver Vauxhall Chevette HSR 2.6 (1979, NRS20W plate) with red side stripes and bonnet raised, front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car gathering with an orange standard Chevette to the left https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-hsr-2-6-1979-51175899628-1600.jpg The HSR from behind. The pressed VAUXHALL script across the rear panel was unique to the HS and HSR cars, and the wider rear arches over the standard Chevette shell are clearly visible from this angle. A silver Vauxhall Chevette HSR 2.6 (1979, NRS20W plate) rear three-quarter view, showing wide rear arches, red side stripes and the embossed VAUXHALL lettering across the rear panel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-hsr-2-6-1979-51175678011-1600.jpg The Chevette HS and HSR engine bay. The Vauxhall sixteen-valve head bolted to the Victor FE 2.3 slant-four block, twin Strombergs, and the 500X coil pack feeding it: 135 brake horsepower in a sub-tonne shell. Close-up of the engine bay of a Vauxhall Chevette HSR, showing the 2.3-litre slant-four with the Vauxhall-designed sixteen-valve head, twin Stromberg carburettors with red velocity stacks, and the Vauxhall-branded cam cover https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-hs-2300-1979-53255967467-1047.jpg A 1979 Chevette HS in the Vauxhall Heritage Centre lineup. The HS shell looks almost identical to the standard hatch from this angle, which is part of why replicas built up from base cars are common and why provenance is the whole game on the market for these. A silver Vauxhall Chevette HS 2300 (1979, JLA250V plate) rear three-quarter view inside the Vauxhall Heritage Centre, with a red Vauxhall Viva and a blue period saloon parked alongside https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1980-vauxhall-chevette-18473303753-1600.jpg The two-door saloon variant, built only from 1976 to 1979 and now the rarest standard Chevette body style. Few were sold at the time and very few survive, which makes any clean example a notable find at a classic show. A light blue 1980 Vauxhall Chevette two-door saloon (DGO123X plate) at an outdoor classic car show, front three-quarter view on grass with a black hatchback parked behind https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/bedford-chevanne-1976-50336480732-1600.jpg The Chevette panel van was sold as the Bedford Chevanne, badged through Vauxhall's commercial-vehicle division. Built from 1977 to 1984, it found work with the Post Office and small fleet operators, sharing its body shell with the three-door Chevette estate. A bright blue 1976 Bedford Chevanne panel van (OYX77R plate) rear three-quarter view on grass at a classic show, with blanked panels where the rear side windows would be on the estate https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-range-1981-models-51118204752-1600.jpg The 1981 Vauxhall range. The Chevette is in the back row, by now the elder statesman of the line-up alongside the front-wheel-drive Astra Mk1 that would shortly replace it and the larger Cavalier and Carlton aimed at the company-car market. A 1981 Vauxhall range brochure photograph showing the Chevette hatchback in red and orange alongside the Cavalier, Astra, Sportshatch, Carlton and Viceroy, photographed as a studio group shot https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/michelin-ad-1976-part-1-33202450062-1600.jpg Michelin's 1976 tyre advert, with the Chevette placed alongside the Cortina, Avenger and the just-launched Fiesta. The Chevette beat the Fiesta to the small-hatchback segment by twelve months, a head start the period ad copy reflects. A 1976 Michelin tyre advertisement headed 'Choose your tyres as stringently as they do' showing the red Vauxhall Chevette in a grid of European hatchbacks and saloons including the Ford Fiesta, Rover 3500, Chrysler Avenger, Ford Cortina, Chrysler Alpine, Peugeot 504 and BLMC TR7 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-gls-1976-32732046433-1366.jpg Vauxhall's 1976 GLS hatchback press shot, this one styled around a streamside picnic. The GLS was the top trim, with twin headlights, brighter brightwork, and twin-Stromberg-carb 1.3 making slightly more than the standard L spec. A red 1976 Vauxhall Chevette GLS three-door hatchback parked on grass next to a stream and rocky outcrop, with a woman in period clothing sitting on the rocks, factory press photograph https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-chevette-gls-1977-48641387076-1600.jpg The Chevette hatchback from behind. The wraparound tailgate glass was a real selling point in the period: this was Vauxhall's first hatchback in the UK, and the lift-up rear with its tailgate-corner seals also became one of the first places to rust. A light blue 1977 Vauxhall Chevette GLS three-door hatchback (RDG397R plate) rear three-quarter view at an outdoor show, with chrome 'Chevette GLS' badging on the tailgate and the vinyl black trim strip along the flank https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/vauxhall/victor/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-f-type-series-ii-deluxe-1960-53256847718-945.jpg A 1960 F-Type Series II Deluxe. The cleaned-up version of the original, with the two-tone paint and tailfins that date the styling exactly. A two-tone brown-and-cream Vauxhall Victor F-Type Series II Deluxe (1960), rear three-quarter view in a museum hall https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-f-1959-15818644048-1600.jpg A 1959 Vauxhall Victor F. The two-tone period colours, chrome side spear and dog-leg A-pillars are pure 1955 Chevrolet by way of Luton. A two-tone green-over-cream Vauxhall Victor F (1959) at an outdoor classic car show with a vintage Bentley partly visible at left https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-fb-deluxe-estate-1964-53257144133-1080.jpg A 1964 FB Deluxe Estate. The FB's cleaner three-box styling and the practical estate body that joined the range in 1962. A dark slate-grey Vauxhall Victor FB Deluxe Estate (1964), rear three-quarter view in a museum hall https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-101-1966-36999066984-1600.jpg A 1966 Victor 101. The horizontal-bar grille and the chrome script 101 badge are what the FC's hundred-and-one-improvements marketing got you. A pale green Vauxhall Victor 101 (1966) shown from a high front three-quarter angle in a museum, with the chrome script 101 badge visible on the grille https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-ventora-1969-3-3-litre-6-cylinder-27813352293-1600.jpg A 1969 Ventora 3.3 with vinyl roof. The FD bodyshell carrying the Cresta straight-six, Vauxhall's pitch at the lower edge of the Rover 2000 market. A black Vauxhall Ventora (1969) with a black vinyl roof, front three-quarter view at an outdoor classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-fe-2300s-1975-53258379220-1059.jpg A 1975 Victor FE 2300S. The last Victor and the most substantial, with the bored-out 2.3 slant-four and the top-trim vinyl roof. A light blue Vauxhall Victor FE 2300S (1975) with a black vinyl roof, front three-quarter view in a museum hall https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-vx4-90-fb-1963-15934682576-1600.jpg A 1963 VX 4/90 in FB bodyshell. The twin-Zenith-carb, high-compression performance Victor that gave dealers a sub-£900 family saloon capable of more than 90 mph at a time when most domestic 1.5-litre cars struggled to clear 75. A light powder-blue Vauxhall VX4/90 FB saloon (1963, XWM 299 plate) with chrome side coachline and dark contrast roof line, front three-quarter view on grass at a UK classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-f-series-estate-1962-32309336148-1600.jpg An F-Series Estate in the 1962 two-tone livery. The estate joined the F range late in production and is now the rarest body style of the rarest generation, almost extinct on the road as the F-type's structural rust took out load-bay variants first. A two-tone pale-blue-over-cream Vauxhall Victor F-Series Estate (1962, GSL 593 plate) with chrome side spear and wraparound windscreen, front three-quarter view on grass at a UK classic car show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-18675421240-1600.jpg An FC Victor 101 saloon in deep racing green, attending a UK enthusiast meet. The FC's debugged running gear and the cleaner three-box silhouette that fans regard as the best-balanced Victor of the five generations. A dark racing-green Vauxhall Victor FC saloon (AJK 102C plate, 1965) with Union Jack flags propped against the front wing, front three-quarter view on grass against an industrial corrugated-steel backdrop https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-101-ambulance-1966-54143869766-1080.jpg An FC-based Victor 101 estate converted for ambulance duty in 1966. Mid-1960s county-council fleets often took Victor estates as low-cost light-duty ambulances and patient-transport vehicles, the kind of working role that has nearly disappeared from survivor populations. A cream Vauxhall Victor 101 Ambulance conversion (1966) at an indoor NEC classic show with the rear estate tailgate raised, exposing the fitted stretcher kit, blankets and orange wool blankets in the load bay https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-fd-2000-estate-1971-24541956918-1600.jpg A 1971 FD 2000 Estate at the NEC, picnic hamper for period effect. The FD estate carried the Coke-bottle saloon's flared rear haunches into a load-carrying body, the variant Vauxhall sold against the Cortina Mk2 estate and the Cambridge Farina wagon. A white Vauxhall Victor FD 2000 Estate (1971, DLC 586J plate) at an indoor NEC classic car show with the tailgate raised, a vintage red wicker picnic hamper opened in the load bay https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-vx4-90-1970-30676307170-1600.jpg A 1970 VX 4/90 FD with current asking price visible. The twin-Stromberg-carb FD was Vauxhall's quietest performance saloon of the period, and recent auction marks show the survivors finally pulling clear of the standard 2000-litre car's value range. A cream Vauxhall VX4/90 FD saloon (1970, PJT 490J plate) at an indoor NEC classic show with a price ticket of £12,995 in the windscreen, front three-quarter view on a grey carpeted display floor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/1974-vauxhall-victor-fe-1800-9120313400-1600.jpg A 1974 FE 1800 with bonnet up at a show. The slant-four overhead-cam unit visible here is the engine that mattered: it would carry on into the Cavalier, Magnum, Firenza and Chevette HS, and ran in various Vauxhalls and Opels into the late 1980s. A mustard-yellow 1974 Vauxhall Victor FE 1800 (RSE 36M plate) with the bonnet raised, exposing the slant-four overhead-cam engine, front three-quarter view on grass at a UK classic show https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/vauxhall-victor-fe-1972-33351121326-1437.jpg Vauxhall's 1972 FE Transcontinental Victor ad. The launch positioning leaned hard on the European platform shared with the Opel Rekord D, pitched at buyers ready to look past the Cortina and Cambridge for a more continental large saloon at £1,255 ex-factory. A period magazine advertisement for the FE Vauxhall Victor headlined 'Spaciousness, European Style' and 'Transcontinental Victor, it's a joy to drive', showing an FE saloon photographed on a coast road above what appears to be Monte Carlo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/envoy-custom-1960-30659373460-1600.jpg An Envoy Custom, the F-type's Canadian-market badge. Vauxhall built the Victor specifically to fill spare GM dealer capacity in North America: the same shell was sold as Envoy in Canada, as Victor in Australia and South Africa, and even briefly through Pontiac-Buick US showrooms. A pale-blue Envoy Custom (1960), the Canadian-market rebadged Vauxhall Victor F-type, on display at a UK museum with a 'Vauxhall sold 3.3 million cars for export to 1965' placard behind, front three-quarter view https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/when-does-a-car-become-a-classic/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/land-rover-defender-a-land-rover-defender-parked-in-a-vibrant-autumn-10108437-1600.jpg A Land Rover Defender. Production only ended in 2016, which makes it the car the 'is it a classic yet?' argument keeps circling back to. A silver Land Rover Defender 110 parked on a leaf-strewn track in an autumn forest https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/aston-martin-db5-blue-aston-martin-db5-parked-near-the-sea-29648179-1600.jpg A high-value classic like a DB5 turned the corner from depreciation to appreciation decades ago. The market moment, the bottom of the price curve, is the cheapest a car will ever be in real terms. A blue Aston Martin DB5 parked near the sea, front three-quarter view https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/a-classic-red-mg-mgb-car-parked-on-an-urban-street-under-21939009-870.jpg An MGB. The MG Owners' Club treated it as a classic from the late 1980s, decades before its 40-year legal qualification arrived in 2020, the cultural moment running well ahead of the paperwork. A red MG MGB roadster parked on an urban street https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/which-cars-count-as-british-classics/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/classic-mini-cooper-parked-next-to-a-gothic-style-stone-building-in-9825833-975.jpg A classic Mini. Few cars are more obviously a British classic, which makes it a good place to start drawing the line. A British Racing Green classic Mini with a white roof, parked at the kerb beside a Gothic stone church https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/jaguar-e-type-white-jaguar-e-type-roadster-parked-beside-historic-buildings-12582269-1600.jpg A Jaguar E-Type, a household-name British classic. British marque, British-built, no ownership or badge complications: the easy end of the in-scope test. A white Jaguar E-Type roadster parked beside historic buildings https://www.pexels.com/license/ https://britishclassiccars.co.uk/photos/wolseley-2200-1975-53250325652-1044.jpg A Wolseley 2200, one of three near-identical cars British Leyland sold at once as an Austin, a Morris, and a Wolseley. Badge-engineering like this is exactly where the marque question gets awkward. A bright blue 1975 Wolseley 2200 saloon at a UK classic car show, the badge-engineered version of the 18-22 range https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/